Tragic Details About The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Before we had Kim Possible and Hannah Montana, television was ruled by another teenage girl living a double life: Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Summers. After it debuted on The WB in 1997, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, and its influence remains strong nearly three decades later. Variety listed the series among its "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time," while showrunners of TV series such as "The Vampire Diaries" and "Timeless" credited it as one of the inspirations behind their work. Although its special effects now look outdated compared to more modern horror-fantasy teen dramas like "Wednesday," Gellar's portrayal of the badass, snarky high schooler moonlighting as a monster hunter, and her chemistry with the rest of the cast, helped it withstand the test of time and cement it as a cult classic.

However, in 2021, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" legacy was marred after accusations of misconduct and "toxic" behavior were levied against Joss Whedon, the creator and director of the supernatural drama and its spinoff, "Angel," by some of the cast and crew of the two series. This was just one of the many tragedies that have struck the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" cast since the series concluded in 2003 with its seventh season. An iconic villain actor passed away after battling cancer, while a beloved member of the "Scooby Gang" led a troubled life filled with arrests, convictions, and rehab stays after rising to fame on the series. This string of heartbreaking events have forever changed the lives of the beloved "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" cast.

In 2001, Sarah Michelle Gellar's father, Arthur Gellar, died at the age of 60 in his New York City residence, per ABC News, not long after the premiere of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Season 6. However, at the time, the actress did not pay tribute or even release a statement about his passing, with her representative only coming forward to confirm to news outlets that he was indeed her dad. That said, this did not come as a surprise to fans, as Gellar had been outspoken about their estrangement long before his death. When asked about her relationship with Arthur in a 1999 interview, her response was particularly cutting, with Gellar sharing a quote by Keanu Reeves' "Parenthood" character: "You need a license to go fishing, you need a license to drive, but any butt-reaming a**hole can be a father."

Gellar said Arthur played no role in her life after he and her mother, Rosellen, divorced when she was a child. "He is not a person who exists in my life. Just because you donate sperm does not make you a father. I don't have a father. I would never give him the credit to acknowledge him as my father," she said in a 2000 interview with TV Guide (via ABC News). Fortunately, unlike her mother, Gellar's marriage with her husband Freddie Prinze Jr., with whom she shares two children, is still going strong 22 years later.

Before he shot to fame as the vampire Angel in "Buffy," David Boreanaz scored his first credited role in 1993 as Kelly Bundy's cheating boyfriend in "Married ... with Children." That storyline turned out to be prophetic as 17 years later, he admitted to People that he had cheated on his second wife, Jaime Bergman. "Our marriage has been tainted with my infidelities. I just want to be open and honest. I was irresponsible," he confessed in 2010. But guilt wasn't Boreanaz's only reason for coming clean, as the admission came after his then-unnamed mistress allegedly threatened to expose her affair with the "Bones" star.

Days after he made his confession, Rachel Uchitel, the former mistress of golf legend Tiger Woods, confirmed they had an affair, telling Us Weekly that she and Boreanaz had been in love but that she'd already called it quits with him. Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, also told the outlet at the time that Boreanaz allegedly had given Uchitel "reason to believe that he intended to separate from his wife" when they were together.

Following the scandal, Boreanaz worked to regain his wife's trust and save their marriage, which ultimately paid off as they remain married to this day. In 2011, the actor was quoted by TV Week (via E! News) as saying that his infidelity even became "a bonding experience" for him and Bergman. "Do I believe in giving up? No, I don't. I'm a fighter. I'm a lover," he reportedly said.

Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia Chase had one of the best character developments across "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," growing from a superficial cheerleader to a strong heroine. However, her character was bizarrely made a villain in "Angel" Season 4 and then killed off the following season.

In 2004, years after the final season of "Angel," Carpenter finally broke her silence on producer Joss Whedon and the drama behind her character's fate. She alleged that Whedon had been "cruel" to her behind the scenes after learning that she was pregnant during the filming of Season 4, including repeatedly threatening to "fire" her, body-shaming her, and axing her after she gave birth, among many other accusations. In a statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) in 2021, the actress claimed, "Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel.'" According to Carpenter, she was left so "traumatize[d]" by the show creator's allegedly horrific behavior that it "triggered a chronic physical condition."

After she spoke out, Carpenter received support from her former "Buffy" costars, including Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg, the latter of whom alleged in an Instagram post that Whedon displayed "not appropriate behavior" toward her when she was a teen actress on the series. In his response to Carpenter's allegations, Whedon admitted to Vulture that he "was not mannerly" toward the actress when she was pregnant and "yelled" at her at times, along with other "Buffy" and "Angel" stars. But he denied Carpenter's abuse claims and calling her "fat." "Most of my experiences with Charisma were delightful and charming," Whedon insisted to Vulture. 

In "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Nicholas Brendon played the geeky sidekick Xander Harris who had a huge crush on Buffy but wasn't afraid to call her out. Xander often got into trouble and made many mistakes, including leaving Anya (Emma Caulfield) on the day of their wedding, but this didn't prepare fans for the tragic turn Brendon's life would take after he wrapped up his breakout role. Since 2010, Brendon has been arrested eight times for various charges, including alleged vandalism, destruction of property, public intoxication, robbery, and domestic violence. He never served time in prison but was sentenced to probation in 2010, 2015, and 2020 for offenses such as attempting to hit police officers and assaulting two of his girlfriends.

In between his arrests, Brendon had attempted to seek help for "depression, alcoholism, and substance abuse problems" by entering rehab at least four times, per a statement made by his then-manager (via E! News). However, the actor's dark days continued. According to a Facebook post, Brendon's mental health struggles and other issues led to "failed attempts at suicide." He also suggested in his December 2015 interview with Dr. Phil that his problems stemmed from his experience of being "molested" by a teacher when he was a child and then "blamed for it by the people who are supposed to be [his] protectors."

What's more, Brendon's health issues extend beyond mental; his physical condition also suffered as a result of his run-ins with the law. His jail stint for his last arrest, which occurred in August 2021 for alleged felony prescription fraud, exacerbated the symptoms of his spine condition, causing him "immense pain," along with "paralysis in his genitals" and legs, his manager told the Daily Mail.

Camden Toy, who played several villainous roles in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," died at the age of 68 in December 2023, two years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to an obituary released by his representatives. While "Buffy" viewers never saw his regular appearance, as his characters required heavy prosthetics and makeup, Toy gave amazing performances as one of the nightmare-inducing Gentlemen demons, the human-eating monster Gnarl, and the very first Turok-Han (aka "ubervamp")in the series.

Although he played some of the show's creepiest characters, Toy was well-liked on set and formed some lasting friendships during his time on "Buffy." Several of his costars, including Gellar, praised him for his kind nature in heartfelt tributes following his passing. The "Cruel Intentions" actress took to her Instagram Stories to share a since-deleted screenshot of the late actor as a Gentleman, along with the caption: "It was an honor #CamdenToy" (via Metro). His fellow Gentleman actor Doug Jones, who became Toy's "best friend" after meeting him on the set of "Buffy," described him as "joyful, smiley, smart, giggly, huggie, good at listening with his heart, and accessible always to anyone he knew" in a touching statement shared by Toy's representatives. In her own tribute, costar Juliet Landau remembered Toy as "a beautiful soul, a beautiful friend, and a beautiful talent."