Tori Spelling's Dad Aaron Spelling Insisted '90210' Character Donna Martin Stay a Virgin

Spelling said she had "always suspected" her dad was behind the decision on the latest episode of '9021OMG'

Tori Spelling is still learning new things about her Beverly Hills, 90210 character, Donna Martin.

On the latest episode of 9021OMG podcast – which Spelling cohosts with Jennie Garth, who played Kelly Taylor on the Fox series – the 50-year-old actress chatted with 90210 producer and writer Charles Rosin about the reason Donna famously remained a virgin for so long.

It turns out that her father Aaron Spelling, a producer on the show, was undoubtedly the driving force behind that character decision. The actress said she’d “always suspected” that it was her dad’s idea, but didn’t know for sure until now.

“I remember very clearly when he said to me, you know, that Donna should be a virgin,” Rosin recalled of Aaron. “And it was like, ‘Yes, absolutely she should.’”

Tori said Donna being a virgin certainly wasn’t something she came up with for her character. When she asked Rosin if it was “literally” her late dad’s idea, he answered unequivocally, “Oh, absolutely.”

“I never knew where it came from,” Spelling said of the decision. “I always suspected, and people say, like, ‘He kept his daughter virgin.’”

Rosin said the “entire writing staff” was immediately on board with the idea because it helped Donna’s character stand out from the rest of the group.

“We just went, ‘Oh, yeah, that makes perfect sense!’” he explained. “Because we were able now to differentiate you.”

“You would be dressed, you know, provocatively, stylishly – but it didn’t matter,” he added, referring to Donna’s wardrobe. “Because certainly, if you were, for whatever reason, a virgin at that point, you could dress like that...You could blend in, but not actually be ‘doing the deed’ as it were.”

Donna lost her virginity to her long-time boyfriend David (Brian Austin Green) on her last night of college in season 7. It was a sharp contrast to the rest of the characters, most of whom had their first times early on in the show. For instance, Brenda (Shannen Doherty) lost her virginity to her boyfriend Dylan (Luke Perry) at prom back in season 1 while Brenda’s twin brother Brandon (Jason Priestley) had his first time just four episodes into the show.

This isn’t the first time Spelling has stated that it was her father’s idea for Donna to remain a virgin. In her 2008 memoir sTORI TELLING, she discussed the storyline and claimed her father had no idea most of the 90210 cast was hooking up with each other. “It was pretty intense,” she told ABC News in 2008.

Related: Tori Spelling Shares Rare Family Photo with Dean McDermott and Kids: 'Another Wonderful Easter'

In an 2013 interview with Vulture, Spelling shared why she thought the show waited for so long with Donna’s first time. “I think she stayed a virgin because once we established that she was a fan favorite, people really started relating to her,” she explained. “Teens constantly would approach me and tell me that they were virgins and they had times where they were scared that being a virgin would make them seem uncool, but then Donna made it okay.”

However, the actress added that she was definitely ready for Donna to experience sex by season 7.

“We knew it was inevitable,” Spelling told Vulture. “I think at one point I jokingly said, ‘Come on, Dad. It’s time.’”

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Beverly Hills, 90210 is available to stream on Hulu and Paramount+.

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