Married With Children's Ed O'Neill has revealed what sparked the bitter feud between him and co-star Amanda Bearse - and why he wishes he could take it all back. 

The 77-year-old actor - who recently made headlines when he shared that he wanted to  -  lifted the lid on the year-long conflict between him and his 65-year-old co-star. 

Ed, who also featured in Modern Family, dished on the dispute while speaking on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast. 

He explained that the initial conflict arose after he refused to stand up for Amanda - adding that he now 'regrets' it.

Married With Children's Ed O'Neill has revealed what sparked the bitter feud between him and co-star Amanda Bearse - and why he wishes he could take it all back

The 77-year-old actor lifted the lid on the year-long conflict between him and his 65-year-old co-star (seen in season nine in 1994 of Married With Children)

After the duo gushed about the sensational chemistry between the stars of the hit soap, Ed dived into the issues between him and Amanda. 

He said: 'I did a thing on the show that involved Amanda Bearse that I regretted.

We didn’t get along, but we did for a long time. We were great friends. And I could guess, I don’t want to speak for her, but it started when we got the cover of TV Guide. 

'Her and David Garrison were the neighbors, and they were told they could not be on the cover. Because they had a rule: only so many could be on the cover. 

'Now they violated that for like two shows, I think it was MASH, and Dallas. That was an exception, they weren’t doing it for us,' he explained. 

He noted that his co-star wanted him to stand up for her and other cast members that wouldn't be on the cover. 

However, out of fear of losing the cover altogether, Ed decided to keep his mouth shut and told Amanda there was nothing he could do.

He added: 'We were lucky to get it. It was like the sixth year in or something, and we were thrilled to get the cover of TV Guide. It was big. And Amanda and David came out in unison from their dressing room. 

'We were on the soundstage, and she said, "We expect you to go to [co-creator] Ron Leavitt and tell him this doesn’t work. We’re all on the cover." 

He explained that conflict arose after he refused to stand up for Amanda - adding that he now 'regrets' it (Amanda seen in 2022)

He noted that his co-star wanted him to stand up for her and other cast members that wouldn't be on the cover (seen on the sitcom in 1987)

'If I was diplomatic, I should have said, "Fine, I’ll talk to him about it." But instead, I said, "No, I’m not doing that. I’m sorry you guys aren’t on the cover. 

'"I really am! I wish you were, but we can’t do anything about it. What do you want me to do? Lie to you and tell you I’m going to bat for you. I’m not."' 

After revealing the truth behind the conflict, Jesse asked his pal if he wishes he could go back in time and fight for his co-star. 

'Yeah, I would have.

And that’s my regret,' Ed said. 

Married With Children ran for 11 seasons and captured the hearts of fans as it followed the life of a hilarious Chicago family. 

It earned the cover of TV Guide in 1989. It still continues to be a fan-favorite and can be streamed on Hulu. 

Married With Children ran for 11 seasons and captured the hearts of fans as it followed the life of a hilarious Chicago family

It earned the cover of TV Guide in 1989.

It still continues to be a fan-favorite and can be streamed on Hulu

In the same interview, Ed revealed he nearly turned to a life of crime before turning to acting. 

The Modern Family star said he, 'didn't have a clue' what to do next, admitting on Jesse's podcast that he considered organized crime.

'Youngstown was not a good place to live. There was nothing there for me,' O'Neill admitted on the podcast, a month after stating he was going to return his honorary doctorate to Youngstown State University after they selected a Trump-backing Congressman as the school's new President.

'The only thing that I had that I could have done, and thank God that I didn't, was organized crime,' O'Neill said.

'I had friends in organized crime,' he said, referring to a friend named Jim from his hometown of Youngstown.