Delta Burke is opening up about her exit from the popular sitcom Designing Women for the first time in over a decade. The 67-year-old actress made an appearance on the Glamorous Trash podcast with host Chelsea Devantez on April 19, 2024. During the episode, she talked about her time on the show and ultimately, what led to her leaving the hit series. In 1991, Delta left the show over what was reported to be a disagreement with the creator, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Her exit gained a lot of attention.
Delta claimed that Linda had psychologically abused her, along with the creator's husband, Harry Thomason. "It got ugly and very sad," she said.
“We do Designing Women, and I'm so happy to be there. I love everything," she continued. "But then things started to change, which I won't go into. But that, combined with becoming famous, that I simply couldn't cope with.”
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“I wanted to leave," Delta said. "And I wasn't allowed to leave.” She starred in the show alongside Annie Potts, Jean Smart, and the late Dixie Carter until the end of season five. The show continued on to run for seven seasons.
Delta added that she “loved” how her character “evolved” on the show over the seasons. She also said that remaining on the sitcom gave her "an amazing character to get to play, grow older and fatter with,” which is something she is grateful for, despite the way things ended.
As for the relationship between her and Linda, whom she’d worked with prior to the sitcom on Filthy Rich and later on Women of the House, she described it as a “love-hate” dynamic. “I love her very much," she said.
"I admire a lot that she’s done. I’m very thankful for everything that she’s done for me, but there's other issues," the actress continued. "Well, basically, we tried to kill each other, but you know, we survived.”
She later revealed that she was hospitalized after the show's second season. “I did have a breakdown,” she recalled. “It had become too much. I really couldn’t handle it and didn’t wanna go back.”
People in the comments weighed in on Delta's reason for leaving the show.
"Well love ya and miss you," one person wrote. "You made the show!!!"
"You are and were always beautiful!!" another person commented. "My favorite episode was you at your high school reunion letting others know you look at their hearts ❤️❤️ priceless!! I’m so sorry to now learn you were not treated the same way … ."
