Recording of the Mamas and the Papas' second album, titled "The Mamas and the Papas" (1966) was interrupted when Michelle Phillips's affair with Gene Clark of the Byrds was revealed. An affair the previous year between Phillips and bandmate Denny Doherty had been forgiven; Doherty and John Phillips had reconciled and ostensibly written "I Saw Her Again" (1966) about the episode, although they later disagreed about how much Doherty had contributed to the song. This time, John Phillips was determined to fire his wife. After consulting their attorney and record label, John Phillips, Elliot and Doherty served Michelle Phillips with a letter expelling her from the group on June 28, 1966. However, she was rehired on August 23 after the remaining band members concluded that her replacement, Jill Gibson, lacked her predecessor's "stage charisma and grittier edge". After Phillips's reinstatement, the band embarked on a brief tour of the East Coast, playing a series of precarious shows in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and at Fordham University in New York City.