Why did Delta Burke and the Thomasons really feud?

[TMC]

It all seemed so vague at the time.

[TVLegend]

Maybe it was because they really do shoot fat women.

[80sTrivia]

I believe it was over Delta's claims of a "toxic workplace" environment on the set. The show's creators and producers clapped back that Delta was "impossible to work with" on set after starting her relationship with now-husband Gerald McRaney. I always assumed it was ultimately over pay, as money is normally the real reason for these on-set feuds! $$$

Here is Barbara Walter's interview with Delta and Gerald from 1990, where she talks about the situation:

[CJMD03]

Suzanne gaining weight was responsible for some of the best lines and episodes.

[jayman75]

Delta has some demons for sure… she is a hoarder, has spoken about abuse and other things.

She was hired as a former beauty Queen. In that era of television, there was an expected elegance and beauty for women on TV. Gaining weight was not expected, and Delta went into a spiral. There was so much she-said, they-said… but they ultimately became friendly again (remember the Delta spin-off, and then the series where she went blonde?).

At the DW reunion on Lifetime, everyone was friendly… so the rift was largely blown up my tabloid journalism and didn’t last as long as it feels.

[CJMD03]

Annie Potts slyly called Burke out on some of her behavior in the reunion, though.

[hch]

The feud between Delta Burke and the Thomasons was a multifaceted explosion of personal, professional, and public pressures. While it played out in supermarket tabloids, the root causes were far more intense than just a single issue.

1. Allegations of a "Toxic Workplace"
Burke publicly accused creators Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason of psychological and physical abuse. She claimed the set was an unbearable environment where she was:

Verbally Berated: Burke stated Harry Thomason would assemble the cast for "tirades" and once physically blocked her from leaving his office until he learned her husband was on the way.

Pressured Over Weight: Despite the acclaim of the episode "They Shoot Fat Women, Don’t They?," Burke claimed producers repeatedly pressured her to be thinner and threatened her with dismissal in earlier seasons.

2. The "Gerald McRaney" Factor
The Thomasons famously blamed Burke’s husband, Gerald McRaney (Major Dad), for the shift in her personality.
Producers claimed that after they began dating, Burke arrived on set announcing she was the "star of the show" and should be in charge.
There were accusations of a paranoid atmosphere when McRaney visited the set, with producers painting him as a "scary gun nut" who intimidated staff.

3. Contract and Salary Disputes
Money played a significant role behind the scenes. Burke eventually sued the producers in 1991, claiming they wrote her out of an episode as punishment for her public criticisms. Producers initially viewed her requests for a release as a negotiation tactic to get a higher salary.

4. The Final Break and Reconciliation
The rift became a "war of words" in the press, leading to a vote by the cast and producers that Burke should not return for Season 6.

The "Vietnam" Comparison: Burke famously compared her time on the show to five tours of duty in Vietnam.

Full Circle: Surprisingly, by 1995, Burke and the Thomasons reconciled for the spin-off Women of the House, attributing the past to "miscommunications" and third-party interference.