'The Brady Bunch' Curse: How Leading Stars of the Iconic Sitcom Were Met With Dark Times During Their Careers... Including Susan Olsen, Eve Plumb and More
The cast of 'The Brady Bunch' faced dark times after starring on the iconic sitcom.
Aug. 20 2025, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
The Brady Bunch may be one of the most iconic shows from the 1970s, but things weren't always groovy for the sitcom's cast.
Susan Olsen, Eve Plumb, and Maureen McCormick have opened up on the turmoil they faced in their careers after starring on the show, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Olsen, Plumb, and McCormick played Cindy, Jan, and Marcia Brady, respectively, during the five seasons the show aired on ABC from September 1969 until its cancellation in 1974.
Olsen's Childhood Trauma of Being Cindy Brady
Olsen played youngest daughter Cindy Brady on all five seasons of the show.
Like many childhood stars, Olsen was unable to shake the Brady Bunch legacy, and Hollywood was never able to imagine her in a role beyond pigtailed Cindy.
She soon began to resent being part of the sitcom and eventually gave up her acting dreams, though she later realized it was never her true passion anyway.
Olsen said: "When I was younger... I really hated the fact that I was in such a wholesome show with American values and family values. I think people generally are happily surprised when they find out that my tastes were not quite so wholesome."
Later in life, Olsen started growing marijuana with her husband, even though she was "bothered" by doing something illegal.
Olsen's 'Guilt' Over 'Praying' For The Show to End
Olsen confessed to 'praying' for the show to end before she entered her awkward teen years.
Olsen previously confessed feeling "guilty" when the show came to an end because she had been praying for its cancellation for years.
The 64-year-old explained the show was canceled right as she was entering her awkward teen years. She admitted she felt relieved because "it's bad enough to go through your awkward stage and to feel really ugly, but doing it on national TV is not something I wanted to do."
She also disagreed with the airhead direction Cindy's character was being taken, but noted in hindsight she's "so proud" of being involved in the sitcom.
Plumb's Friendship Breakup With McCormick
Plum had a falling out with McCormick so nasty it derailed plans for a Brady reunion in 2010.
While Plumb's character Jan sometimes butted heads with her older sister Marcia on-screen, the 67-year-old said she was "best friends" with McCormick in real life while filming the show.
But the once close co-stars had a falling out so bad it derailed a 2010 Brady Bunch reunion because the women couldn't stand to be in the same room.
McCormick partially accepted blame for the feud in 2008 and confessed to joking about kissing Plumb on a talk show.
Plumb and McCormick reconciled and reunited in 2019 for 'A Very Brady Renovation.'
She explained, "I was having fun ...and she didn't take it that way," before adding, "I miss her very much."
Eventually, Plumb and McCormick moved past the painful rift and finally reunited in 2019 for HGTV's reality show A Very Brady Renovation, which brought the six remaining cast members back together to renovate the real Brady Bunch house in Los Angeles.
Unlike many, Plumb managed to escape the usual trappings of a child star, which she credited to returning to normal life after the sitcom ended.
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McCormick's Battle With Drugs and Body Image
McCormick's post-Brady Bunch drug addiction halted her career and nearly killed her.
During her Brady days, McCormick struggled under the pressure of playing "perfect" Marcia.
In real life, McCormick struggled with body image issues during her teenage years – and after the TV show was canceled, she fell into Hollywood's seedy drug scene.
She recalled: "I sought refuge in seemingly glamorous cocaine dens above Hollywood. I spiraled downward on a path of self-destruction that cost me my career and nearly my life."
McCormick spent time in a psych ward and checked in and out of rehab for five years until she got her life back on track. The 69-year-old has been healthy and sober for 40 years.
