Gail Lerner has been removed from Newlyweds, the NBC sitcom she co-created with Jamie Lee Curtis, two weeks before it reaches the screen. She says the reason given was “creative differences”, and NBC has confirmed it. The show stars real-life couple Téa Leoni and Tim Daly.
Gail Lerner has been fired from her own NBC sitcom, Newlyweds, ahead of its premiere, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Lerner announced the news herself on Instagram on Friday, October 9. She said the reason she was given was “creative differences”. An NBC spokesperson confirmed that was the case.
What Lerner Said
“Here’s the good news: I couldn’t be more proud of the new sitcom Newlyweds that I created with the singular Jamie Lee Curtis. Premieres 10/23!” she wrote.
“Here’s the bad news: I got fired off it today.”
She called the show “the most joyous TV experience of my life” and praised its cast, crew and writers as “unparalleled”.
“The silver lining: the first six episodes were made under my leadership, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” she added.
The Show
Newlyweds is due to premiere on October 23.
It stars Téa Leoni as a free-spirited woman and Tim Daly as a buttoned-up professor who marry after a whirlwind courtship.
Leoni and Daly are married in real life. They have been together for more than a decade, having met on the CBS drama Madam Secretary, which ran from 2014 to 2019.
Lerner co-created the series with Jamie Lee Curtis.
Who Lerner Is
Lerner is a veteran television producer. Her credits include Black-ish and its spin-off Mixed-ish, as well as Will & Grace, Happy Endings and Ugly Betty.
A Good-Humoured Exit
Her post was notably free of bitterness.
“No one knows what’s going to happen in our meshuganah business, but I predict this show’s gonna be a barn burner,” she wrote. “Please check out the first six (and beyond!). If you like them, please let me know! If you don’t, keep it to yourself.”
She signed off: “Love from your friend on her feet.”
What Is Not Known
Neither Lerner nor NBC has said what the creative differences were, or who will run the show from here.
Image: Tim Daly, who stars in Newlyweds, in October 2025 (file photo). Photo by Colleen Sturtevant via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
