I Know What You Did Last Summer costars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt have been rumored to have a frosty offscreen relationship since the horror classic’s 1997 release.
The controversy started over persistent rumors that Hewitt asked producers to kill off Gellar’s character Helen Shivers in the original IKWYDLS so her costar couldn’t return for 1998’s sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. (Hewitt has always denied having any part of Gellar’s character being written out of the franchise.)
All of the drama bubbled back to the surface in 2025 with the release of legacy sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer, which features Hewitt reprising her role as Julie James opposite Gellar’s husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., as Ray Bronson. Gellar announced prior to the new IKWYDLS going into production that she wasn’t returning because of Helen’s onscreen death.
Fans of the horror franchise were disappointed when Gellar and Hewitt did not reunite at the July 2025 premiere, even though both were in attendance. Gellar was quick to squash any suggestion of a feud, while Hewitt insisted in a separate interview that she was “good” with her former costar.
Keep scrolling for a look back at these persistent feud rumors:
‘90s Drama
The rumors of a rift between Gellar and Hewitt date back to when they were filming I Know What You Did Last Summer. Some fans have speculated that the two didn’t get along on set, so Hewitt encouraged producers to kill off Gellar’s character.
Hewitt addressed the accusation head-on during an appearance on the “I’ve Never Said This Before” podcast in December 2024 in order to dispel stereotypes that “girl actresses don’t like to work with girl actresses.”
“I was 18. They were not taking script notes from me, guys,” Hewitt insisted, before saying that she was “totally” friends with Gellar back in the day.
She went on, “All of us were in that experience together and, kind of, figuring it all out and everything. I root for her and Freddie and think it’s the cutest thing in the world that they’ve been married for 100 years, and have kids. It’s adorable. It’s just been really funny to see all of this stuff that people think.”
Legacy Sequel
Gellar announced in October 2024 that she was not returning for director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel even though Prinze was involved. She bluntly explained to People at the time: “I am dead.”
The actress was otherwise enthusiastic about the project, revealing: “My best friend [Jennifer] is directing it, so we joke that I have an unofficial job, which is I am continuity. So I’m always the one telling her, ‘Well, that would happen, or that wouldn’t happen with those characters,’ so I do have kind of an unofficial job title.”
However, there was an awkward moment two months later at the premiere of her show Dexter: Original Sin when Extra asked Gellar for an update on the new IKWYDLS.
“I have nothing to do with that,” she responded before walking away.
Hewitt’s return as Julie was announced only two days after Gellar’s awkward red carpet response, leading fans to once again suggest that there was friction between the pair.
Gellar attempted to clarify that situation by sharing a photo from the I Know What You Did Last Summer set, in addition to explaining why she’d been so reticent to discuss the movie.
“Aspiring actors please note: This ‘deer in the headlights’ reaction is perfect for when you are excited to see so many old friends in one project but have already stupidly forgotten what NDA means once this month,” she wrote via Instagram in December 2024.
‘We’re Good’
Hewitt next tried to squash the feud “narrative” during an interview with Vulture in July 2025. The former Party of Five star insisted she hadn’t really been in contact with Gellar since they worked on I Know What You Did Last Summer back in the day.
“I honestly don’t even know what that was or how that all came to be,” Hewitt said. “I just think people don’t want the narrative to be easy. Why do we always have to be against each other and out for each other?”
When asked directly about her relationship with Gellar, Hewitt replied: “I haven’t seen Sarah. Literally, we’ve not talked since I saw her at 18 years old when the first movie came out. That’s why it’s so funny to me. People were like, ‘Say something back.’ And I’m like, ‘What am I going to say? I’ve not seen her.’”
“On my side, we’re good. I have no idea where this is coming from,” she clarified.
Premiere Controversy
Fans were quick to theorize that there was an ulterior explanation for why Hewitt and Gellar didn’t pose together at the IKWYDLS red carpet premiere in July 2025. This time, Gellar was the one trying to downplay theories that she was intentionally kept away from Hewitt.
“For everyone asking — I never got to see @jenniferlovehewitt, who is fantastic in the movie,” Gellar wrote via Instagram. “I was inside with my kids when the big carpet happened. And unfortunately, JLH didn’t come to the after party.”
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum also assured her social media followers that it wasn’t unusual for people to completely miss one another at Hollywood premieres.
“If you have ever been to one of these, it’s crazy. I sadly didn’t get pics with most of the cast,” Gellar wrote. “But that doesn’t change how amazing I think they all are. Unfortunately, some things happen only in real life and not online.”
Read the full article here
