The Truth About the Feud Between Mr. T and George Peppard of ‘The A-Team’
Without a doubt, if you watched TV in the 80s, then you remember The A-Team. The premise of the show was a ton of fun: Four members of a U.S. Army Special Forces unit are tried and convicted for a crime they didn’t commit; they escape from prison and begin working as soldiers of fortune while trying to clear their names and avoid capture by law enforcement. But did you know that behind the scenes, Mr. T and George Peppard had a bit of a feud going on? And the reasons behind it weren’t quite so clear-cut.
I loved this show so much because it was way over the top; it wasn’t uncommon to see these guys in some sort of horrific vehicle crash and yet walk away with nary a scratch on their bodies. Sure, bullets flew, but very few people died. The violence, for the most part, was pretty darn cartoony, and the entire thing was put together in a fairly lighthearted way.
In a nutshell, the show was super fun to watch, and, because of that, I always assumed it was fun to make. However, that might be a bit of a stretch, at least for Mr. T and George, who struggled to get along for much of the show’s run. In fact, in a 2022 article by Stefan Kyriazis in Express UK, Mr. T’s long-time friend Hulk Hogan was quoted as saying that George and Mr. T “hated each other with passion.”
Universal TV/ Courtesy: Everett Collection
Why? Well, let me just say that I don’t think it was any one person’s fault.
While some folks might be quick to point their fingers at George Peppard, saying that he was irked that Mr. T seemed to be the breakout star of the show and even more ticked off when he found out that Mr. T was making more money than him; there are those on the other side who say that Mr. T’s personality could just be a bit difficult to take at times.
From what I understand, while he was on the set, Mr. T was a bit of a talker, and the nonstop, endless barrage of “the world according to Mr. T” got to be difficult for a lot of people, even Robert Vaughn, who was brought in specifically during the fifth and final season to be something of a peacemaker. In a 2010 interview with The Guardian, Vaughn said this about Mr. T: “He’d start talking when he got into makeup at 7 o’clock in the morning and he’d still be talking at 7 o’clock at night.”
So, here’s the deal: Yeah, there were moments when these two fellas were giving each other the silent treatment, but it wasn’t all of the time. Regardless of how they were feeling on the set, they never let it show on screen. They were consummate professionals throughout the entire run of The A-Team.
One last thing definitely worth noting is that a post on The A-Team Fan Forum by a user named peppardfan mentions that the two finally made amends and got along prior to George’s passing. Apparently, George, who after having some health issues, decided to reach out to his co-star. He did so by sending a bouquet of flowers along with a kind message letting Mr. T know that despite their differences and difficulties, he did appreciate the opportunity that he had to work with him.
Puzzler '80s Comedy Classics
Vol 1, Issue 6
This issue is packed with puzzles and trivia from all your favorite '80s sitcoms.
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