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Lindsey Shaw Reveals She Was Fired From ‘PLL’ for ‘Awful’ Drug, Weight Struggles: ‘Dumb Cycle’
Healing old wounds. Lindsey Shaw opened up about being fired from Pretty Little Liars after battling substance abuse and weight struggles during a Wednesday, July 6, episode of the “Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide” podcast.
“It was so bad. I got called into the Pretty Little Liar’s creator’s office, and she was just like, ‘So, we’re gonna let you go.’ She’s like, ‘It’s not because of your acting,’” Lindsey, 34, explained. “She’s like, ‘Do you have anybody to talk to?’ And I was like, ‘Um, no.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, find somebody, and we have to let you go now.’”
Lindsey appeared in the popular teen drama through seasons 1 to 5 and portrayed the character Paige McCullers, who was Shay Mitchell’s onscreen love interest.
While discussing her battle with body image, Lindsey admitted that she turned to drugs because she would enter a “dumb cycle” where she didn’t want to be too thin, but also “couldn’t handle being too heavy.”
The 10 Things I Hate About You actress revealed, “When I had my drug problem and I was in between working on stuff, you know, I would never have to, like, address my relationship with food because I was always like, ‘Oh, I could always just go get more Adderall and be OK with it,’ so it was really hard.”
Lindsey confessed to a “whole season of using” drugs before she was let go and some of her costars even voiced their concerns for her wellbeing.
“[Shay] was bringing me protein powder … and she was like, ‘Girl,’” Lindsey reflected. “Yeah, it was awful.”
Lindsey recalled her final scene with Shay before her exit, sharing they embraced each other once the cameras cut and “let it be what it was.”
“But my God, I’m just so appreciative for that set and for the character and for Shay,” Lindsey gushed, before noting, “[The PLL cast] did me so right bringing me back for aeason 7 and just letting me say goodbye. Like, I will just never forget that.”
Lindsey shared a clip of the podcast episode amid its release via Instagram with a heartfelt caption.
“This was devastating. And I survived. How many more times will I be devastated, yet persist?” Lindsey wrote on the July 5 post.
Friends and online followers sent Lindsey support in the comments section while applauding her for “strength” and “persistence.”
“Words cannot begin to describe how proud I am of you. Look at you now, able to talk about a past traumatic experience that was a pivotal block on the beautiful walls of your queendom,” the Young and The Restless actress Elissa Kapneck wrote. “Queens rise and you my friend are a QUEEN!! They saw the beginning of the rise, they respected it, and they brought you back. And look at you now peywey!!!”
If you’re in need of help, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
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