Die-hard soap opera fans remember that it was Brenda Dickson who originated the role of Jill Foster Abbott on The Young and the Restless – the show's longest-running character, who has since been played by six actresses at the time of this writing. After Dickson's firing by producer William Bell in the 1980s (to which he reportedly cited creative differences), she was largely quiet about the details surrounding her seemingly swift dismissal. 

In 2008, however, Dickson came out swinging in a lengthy blog post (via WeLoveSoaps.net), saying, in part, "Many of my fans have expressed the concern about William Bell firing me. The answer is, 'No, I'm not alright.”

She kept her promise to fans and published a tell-all book: My True Hidden Hollywood Story. In it, she refutes former co-stars' claims that she was fired for poor behavior on set. Instead, Dickson says she was having an affair with Bell and that their eventual bad blood led to her unfair firing. She writes, according to The TV Page, "As a result of speaking to William Bell, bad press, and rumors, no agent in Hollywood will represent me," adding, "My career is ruined." 

She blames her firing for becoming broke and allegedly blacklisted from Hollywood.