Cheryl Ladd wore tiny bikini to protest ‘Charlie’s Angels’ costume choices

Cheryl Ladd found herself wearing so many bikinis on the set of “Charlie’s Angels” that she decided to take matters into her own hands.

In 1977, the actress took on the role of Kris Munroe on the iconic series after producer Aaron Spelling cast her to play Farrah Fawcett’s younger sister. The series, about the adventures of a flamboyant detective agency, starred Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle, Kate Jackson and Fawcett, who left that year. The show ran until 1981.

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

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The star admitted that she wore two-pieces so many times in scenes that “it started to annoy me.”

“‘Okay, how do I get out of this?'” Ladd recalled during the panel. I thought.” “So I went out and bought the smallest bikini ever seen on TV at that point.”

Ladd knew this wouldn’t get past ABC censors. He did it anyway.

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“We filmed and I heard Aaron wasn’t happy,” he said.

“At first someone came and told me Aaron said, ‘Tell the little troublemaker he’ll never do this again,'” he said. “And I didn’t. But I made my point. And wearing a swimsuit was something I felt comfortable in.”

“Well, our ratings are up!” Smith, 80, spoke humorously.

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

Spelling died in 2006 at the age of 83.

Things got serious at the panel. Ladd revealed her breast cancer diagnosis for the first time.

“Mine was an aggressive form,” said Ladd, who was accompanied by Jackson and Smith. “I had great doctors. But I was bald for a long time. It was a humbling experience.”

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

“I have a great husband. He’s been there for me throughout this whole process, and that makes a difference,” Ladd said, referring to her husband, Brian Russell. “Finally little sprouts of hair started coming out. ‘Oh, my hair is growing!’ It was like. It was a long, long and difficult road. But you just get over it. You just go about your business.”

Not only do the three women share an unbreakable bond thanks to their experiences on the series, 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 diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and underwent radiation therapy, said during an interview on the “Today” show. “That’s when I talk about the power of girlfriends.”

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

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

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

“It’s really important to understand and embrace not being afraid of getting a mammogram,” added Jackson, who has survived breast cancer twice. “Early diagnosis is very important. If you find it early enough, you will probably recover.”

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Kate Jackson claimed her “Charlie’s Angels” fame destroyed her privacy as she celebrated the 50th anniversary of the hit series. (American Broadcasting Companies/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 actress died in 2009 at the age of 62 after a battle with anal cancer.

“Oh, I’m so proud. I feel grateful. I feel like we did something right,” Smith told Fox News Digital ahead of the panel. “And I still feel like I’m standing here. And life has been interesting. It’s been such a beautiful journey. Really, I have two beautiful children, a wonderful husband and three grandchildren. So I’m riding high. And, you know, I think the whole thing was meant to be – ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ I don’t regret it.”

Ladd opened up to Fox News Digital about her meaningful friendships with her former co-stars in 2021.

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

“It’s really interesting because when you do something this specific, iconic, and you’re in something that’s so big, it’s something you can explain to people, but until you do it, it’s different,” he continued.

“We often think about how crazy that time was. We had to enter restaurants through the back door. We weren’t prepared for how much people loved the show. It was great, but it was crazy.”

Despite gaining 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 in New York City on March 11, 2020. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

“That was all,” he said. “I knew who I was when I was a young girl. I would climb to the top of the tree and talk to God all the time. It was an interesting road, a lot of beauty, a lot of bumps, a lot of tough learning moments.

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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 trick ourselves into remembering that He is in charge. “I think that’s a good thing, especially when we’re young, when we don’t think things through.”

Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.