Bethany Joy Lenz isn’t willing to be anything other than what she’s been trying to be lately.
But this new version of Bethany is at odds with her old self. Hill of a tree costars and best friends?
The short answer is yes; The long answer is: it’s complicated.
Specifically, word in the fandom is that the Hallmark star is involved in a feud with Hilaria Burton.
When interviewed on the book tour, Bethany acknowledged that she is feuding with Hilarie, but that there is more to this story than all that.
Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton’s Feud: What Exactly Happened?
For those who haven’t been following along, here’s a quick recap:
Bethany and Hilarie, along with Sofia Bushrecently co-organized the Drama Queens podcast. For several years, the women have collectively reminisced and recoiled at memories of their time on the show.
Everything seemed fine until February 29th when Bethany Joy Lenz announced her new memoir Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show.
In her announcement, she wrote “I’m grateful to be able to share my story, my way. It’s a story of forgiveness and a roadmap of how manipulation works, with heartache and humor along the way.”
That same day, Hilarie Burton allegedly posted a cryptic quote to her Instagram Stories and X.com. “I do not believe that imitation is the highest form of flattery. I find this annoying,” read the quote, by fan screenshots.
The message sparked concern from fans and in-depth analysis from Internet sleuths. It was discovered that the two did not follow each other on social media. From there, a conspiracy theory arose suggesting that Hilarie’s fight had to do with the cover of Bethany’s book and how similar it was to her own memoir, due out in October 2023.
Neither of them have commented on the situation – until now.
Bethany Joy Lenz on Beef Defensiveness with Burton
While promoting her book, Bethany was directly asked why she was at odds with her former friend.
She tried to downplay the beef rumors, but at the same time proved them to be true.
“I love Hilaria. I always have and I always will and I have no problem with it,” Lenz said on the October 16 episode of Call her daddy. “There were some bizarre misunderstandings that I really hope we can resolve one day, but I love that girl.”
However, she admitted in the interview that she didn’t always have the best relationship with her co-stars, even before this new drama.
While she’s not specifically feuding with Sophia now, Bethany reveals that wasn’t the case during her 20s, when she became involved with a cult and her classmate called her out.
“I think we both approach life in a similar way, but from opposite perspectives,” Bethan explained.
“Because the conclusions we reached about life and God and all these things were very different. There was simply no room to listen. She would have been much quicker to hear my perspective and listen to me than I was at the time.”
Returning for the reboot?
At the end of August, Sophia and Hilarie confirmed their plans for a new revival of Hill of a tree who will also executive produce with former co-star Danneel Ackles.
“What if you really can come home?” the actresses wrote in a joint message in separate Instagram posts. “If there is an opportunity to team up with brilliant creatives and build a space where all our friends can showcase their talents? Own our story? Recover our territory? Honor our fans? Sign us up.
Of course, the question arose for Bethany as to whether she would return to the show as well, reprising her role of Haley James Scott.
Despite being happy to relive her youth on the podcast, Bethany seems less eager to return to her on-screen roots – although she’s not ruling it out.
“It’s too early to talk about it,” she admitted.