Mackenzie Phillips Reveals How a Stricter 'Morals Clause' Led to Her 'One Day at a Time' Exit
Mackenzie Phillips Reveals How a Stricter 'Morals Clause' Led to Her 'One Day at a Time' Exit
OK! Staff Tue, August 4, 2026 at 7:54 AM UTC
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Mackenzie Phillips revealed the morals clause that led to her 'One Day at a Time' exit.MEGA
Mackenzie Phillips is opening up about the painful moment that ended her run on One Day at a Time.
Speaking during a panel at Fanboy Expo Knoxville on July 10, the actress looked back on the difficult years when her addiction struggles collided with her television success, per People. Phillips, now 66, became a household name playing Julie Cooper on the beloved CBS sitcom, which premiered in 1975 and ran for nine seasons.
Mackenzie Phillips Detailed the Contract Clause That Led to Her 'One Day at a Time' Exit
Mackenzie Phillips recalled the addiction struggles behind her 'One Day at a Time' departure.MEGA
While discussing her time on the show, the TV icon revealed that her contract included stricter provisions because of concerns surrounding her substance abuse.
“Part of the contract was, because we all had a morals contract, but mine was a little more specific,” she explained.
According to Phillips, the agreement stated that if producers suspected she was “under the influence,” they would “have the right to take [her] to a doctor for urinalysis.”
Mackenzie Phillips Recalled Being Asked to 'Pee in a Cup'
Mackenzie Phillips recalled the shocking moment producers asked her to 'pee in a cup' during filming.MEGA
The Orange Is the New Black alum vividly remembered the day everything changed.
“One day, I was asleep on the couch. It was lunch hour. Everybody would just take a little nap. And [co-executive producer] Patricia Fass Palmer, who I hated for years and now we’re very good friends, she came up to me, and she said, ‘Mac, wake up. Wake up. We’re gonna take you to the doctor and have you pee in a cup,’” Phillips recalled.
Knowing she had been using cocaine, she admitted she immediately tried to buy herself time, hoping the drug would clear her system.
“She said, ‘No, we’re not waiting until tomorrow.’ And I said, ‘Okay, well.’ She said, ‘All right, Mac. Grab your stuff and get it together. Get all your stuff. And leave.’ So that’s what I did. And that was that,” the Hollywood actress shared.
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Mackenzie Phillips Said Getting Caught Changed Her Life
Mackenzie Phillips shared emotional memories from the day she was fired from the hit CBS sitcom.MEGA
The beloved star was fired from the sitcom after five seasons, though she later returned for a brief guest arc before leaving for good in 1983.
She has spoken openly for years about her addiction, including recently revealing that she and her onscreen sister Valerie Bertinelli sometimes used cocaine together during lunch breaks. However, Phillips made it clear that their experiences were very different.
“I just happened to be the one that got caught. And thank God I got caught, you know?” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Mackenzie Phillips shared how helping others recover from addiction has become her daily purpose.MEGA
After decades of personal struggles, arrests, and public scrutiny, the So Weird actress has been sober since 2010. Today, she dedicates much of her life to helping others recover from addiction.
“What do I do every day for myself and my health? I help others,” she previously shared with HealthyWomen.
“I know the address is h---. I have been there. But I also know the way out," she added.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
