Why Did Peggy McMillan Actor Joanna Moore Leave ‘The Andy Griffith Show’?
During The Andy Griffith Show‘s eight-season run, Sheriff Andy Taylor had a few serious girlfriends and several one-off dates. One of his more serious love interests was Peggy McMillian, portrayed by Joanna Moore. The nurse exited Mayberry shortly before Helen Crump, Andy’s eventual wife, came on the scene.
While Peggy only lasted a few episodes, she left a lasting impression on many fans. Some fans argue that Andy belonged with Peggy and not Helen. They proclaim that Andy Griffith had more chemistry with Joanna Moore. So why was Peggy McMillian written off of the show?
According to Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, a 2015 book by Daniel de Visé, Joanne Moore and Andy Griffith might have had a closer connection than many people think. While their on-screen love connection fell flat for the team behind The Andy Griffith Show, things were cozier off-screen. Allegedly, the duo had an affair.
De Visé points out that Moore was not Griffith’s first or only affair. His ongoing romance with Aneta Corsaut was reportedly the worst-kept secret on set. Griffith was so smitten with Corsaut, who portrayed Helen Crump, that he proposed, despite being married to his first wife at the time.
Despite Griffith and Moore having a rumored romance off-set, it doesn’t appear to have influenced her character’s departure from Mayberry. Instead, Moore’s character was written off the series due to concerns about how well she matched the show’s overall vibe.
According to several sources, Moore and her character were considered too “glamorous” to set down roots in Mayberry. Peggy McMillian’s wealthy background was mentioned during her time in Mayberry and was even considered a roadblock for Andy and Peggy’s potential relationship.
Ultimately, the show’s writers opted not to continue the relationship. After Peggy disappeared, Helen Crump appeared a short time later, and the rest was history for Andy Taylor.
Joanna Moore’s stay on The Andy Griffith Show was short-lived, but it was far from her last television or movie role. Moore appeared in dozens of shows, movies, and TV movies after Peggy McMillian left Mayberry. Some parts were, understandably, larger than others. She worked on multiple Alfred Hitchcock projects.
Moore reportedly struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, eventually losing custody of her two children to Ryan O’Neal, her second husband. Her children, Oscar-winner Tatum O’Neal and Griffin O’Neal, have struggled in their adult lives. Both have had multiple legal run-ins for drug and alcohol-related offenses.
Moore died in 1997 from lung cancer. She was 63 years old.
