Cheryl Ladd wore a skimpy bikini to protest ‘Charlie’s Angels’ costume choice

Cheryl Ladd found herself stepping into so many bikinis on the set of “Charlie’s Angels” that she decided to do it herself.

In 1977, the actress replaced Kris Munroe on the iconic series after producer Aaron Spelling chose her to play Farrah Fawcett’s younger sister. The series, which followed the adventures of a glamorous detective agency, starred Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle, Kate Jackson and Fawcett, who left that year. The show aired until 1981.

“She loved me in a bikini,” Ladd, 74, said of Spelling at the Paley Center’s PaleyFest LA panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels.”

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The star admitted that she was wearing so many two-pieces that it “started to loosen me up.”

“I thought, ‘Okay, how am I going to get out of this?'” Ladd recalled at the scene. “So, I went out and bought the smallest bikini ever seen on television at the time.”

Ladd knew it wouldn’t pass ABC’s figures. He did it anyway.

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“We filmed, I heard that Aaron is not happy,” he said.

“At first, someone came and told me that Aaron said, ‘Tell the little producer he’s not going to do that again,'” he said. “And I didn’t. But I made my point. And when I put on a swimsuit, it was something I felt comfortable in.”

“Well, our ratings have gone up!” Smith, 80, laughed.

Cheryl Ladd is seen here rocking a bikini during filming. (Collection of Ron Galella/Ron Galella)

Spelling died in 2006 at the age of 83.

Things got ugly at the panel. For the first time, Ladd opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis.

“Mine was aggressive,” said Ladd, who was with Jackson and Smith. “I had very good doctors. But I was bald for a long time. It was humbling.”

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Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd attended the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels”. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“I have a wonderful husband. All the time, he’s been there for me all the time, and that makes all the difference,” Ladd said, referring to her husband, Brian Russell. “Finally, I started growing hair. It was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting hair!’ It was a long, long, hard road. But he passes. Just keep going.”

Not only do these three women share an unbreakable bond over their experiences on the show, but they are all cancer survivors.

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“It just connects you because you know what they’re going through,” Smith, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent radiation therapy in 2002, said on the Today show. “That’s where I talk about the power of girls.”

Cheryl Ladd opened up for the first time about her breast cancer diagnosis during “Charlie’s Angels’ 50th Reunion” on April 6, 2026. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

When Ladd revealed his diagnosis to his friends, Smith said he immediately sympathized.

“The first thing I did was send him my wigs,” Smith said. “He was brave. He was fierce [of cancer].”

“It’s so important to understand and embrace not being afraid to get a mammogram,” added Jackson, a two-time breast cancer survivor. “Early detection is important. Get it early, and you’ll probably recover.”

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Kate Jackson said “Charlie’s Angels” fame ruined her privacy as she celebrated the hit show’s 50th anniversary. (Broadcasting Companies of America/Getty Images)

Ladd, Jackson and Smith also paid tribute to Fawcett, who appeared as one of the main Angels in the series’ first season. The actor died in 2009 at the age of 62 following a battle with breast cancer.

“Oh, I feel proud. I feel appreciative. I feel like we did something right,” Smith told Fox News Digital before the panel. “And I feel like I’m still standing here. And life has been interesting. It’s been a great journey. Really, I have two beautiful children, a great husband and three granddaughters. So I’m riding high. And, you know, I think things are like this – ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was meant to be. I have no regrets.”

In 2021, Ladd opened up to Fox News Digital about his meaningful friendships with his former colleagues.

The cast of “Charlie’s Angels” pose with producer Aaron Spelling in Los Angeles, 1978. (Bret Lundberg/Getty Images)

“It’s really exciting because when you do something specific, amazing, and you’re in it during a big time – it’s something you can explain to people, but until you do it, it’s different,” he continued.

“We think back a lot about how crazy it was back then. We had to go into restaurants through the back door. We weren’t prepared for how much people would love this show. It was fun, but it was out of control.”

Despite achieving fame in Hollywood, Ladd said his faith in God has always played an important role in his life.

Cheryl Ladd visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on March 11, 2020, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

“It was everything,” he said. “I knew who I was when I was a little girl. I would climb to the top of the tree and talk to God all the time. It’s been an interesting journey – a lot of good, a lot of bumps, a lot of hard learning times.

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Cheryl Ladd is seen here with her co-star Tanya Roberts on the set of “Charlie’s Angels.” (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content)

“He [God] he was with me the whole time. He allows us to stumble so that we remember that he is in charge. I think that’s a good thing, especially in our youth, when we don’t think everything through.”

Christina Dugan Ramirez of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.