- The Goldbergs’ Jeff Garlin accused of using his ‘power and status to intimidate and demean’ crew Daily Mail
- ‘The Goldbergs’ Alum Jeff Garlin Used ‘Power and Status to Intimidate and Demean’ Colleagues: New Book Yahoo Entertainment
- ‘The Goldbergs’ Alum Jeff Garlin Used ‘Power and Status to Intimidate and Demean’ Colleagues, New Book Claims Us Weekly
- ‘Goldbergs’ Jeff Garlin used power to ‘intimidate and demean’ New York Daily News
- Jeff Garlin’s Behavior on the Set of ‘The Goldbergs’ Described As “Harassing, Disparaging or Physically Problematic” in New Book Decider
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Garlin
Jeff Garlin Exits The Goldbergs After Allegations
The split was mutually agreed upon.
After nine seasons, Jeff Garlin is leaving The Goldbergs.
Bob D’Amico / ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
People confirmed the news, which comes after reports of Garlin’s inappropriate behavior on set as well as Garlin’s own admission that the studio’s HR department had been investigating him for three years.
Craig Sjodin / ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection
According to Deadline, sources told the publication that the actor was “extremely verbally and emotionally abusive,” with alleged misbehavior ranging from an excess of jokes around the word “vagina” to referring to female-identifying crew members by inappropriate nicknames.
In a recent and wide-ranging interview with Vanity Fair about the allegations, Garlin claimed that his behavior was “silly” but didn’t do anyone any harm.
Richard Cartwright / ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
“I’m on a comedy show,” he said. “I am always a kind and thoughtful person. I make mistakes, sure. But my comedy is about easing people’s pain. Why would I ever want to cause pain in anybody for a laugh? That’s bullying. That’s just uncalled for.”
When asked to address allegations of unwanted hugging on set, Garlin said, “I gotta be honest with you. I am a person who hugs for sure. And it’s quick hugs…if you want to write that story, that’s a true story. It puts the onus on them to say something, and I would gladly respect anyone who said, ‘Please don’t hug me. I don’t feel comfortable.'”
Richard Cartwright / ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
Garlin also claimed that he “didn’t write” a text to a co-worker suggesting she show up to work “wearing only panties.” “But everything that I write like that is about joking,” he added. “I am respectful of women and women’s bodies. And I don’t make jokes about that, because I don’t find it funny.”
Adam Taylor / ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
When asked at the time of the interview if he was fired from the show, Garlin replied, “We’re trying to come to a place where we come to an agreement. Either I can behave the way [they want] or not. We’ll see, but I’m not being fired and I’ve not been fired. We’re in the middle of talking about what we’re going to do, but there will not be a firing.”
Abc / ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Read Garlin’s interview here, and read a report of some of the accusations against him here.
Jeff Garlin fired from ‘The Goldbergs’ amid misconduct controversy
Jeff Garlin is abruptly departing the hit sitcom “The Goldbergs” following a series of misconduct allegations and a network investigation into the actor’s allegedly “abusive” behavior on set.
The bombshell exit comes several weeks after the comedian, 59, publicly revealed that he had not been fired from the long-running ABC sitcom.
According to sources close to the show, it was a mutual decision for Garlin not to return to the series, Deadline reported. Meanwhile, the comedian’s termination is effective immediately — and he will not complete his work on the remainder of “The Goldbergs’” ninth season.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Garlin, who played curmudgeonly Goldberg patriarch Murray Christian Goldberg, admitted to Vanity Fair that he’d been the subject of an HR department probe over the last three years due to his on-set conduct.
“He is extremely verbally and emotionally abusive,” an anonymous “Goldbergs” employee told Deadline.
However, the “Arrested Development” alum dismissed his antics as silly, misunderstood gags that rubbed some cast and crew members the wrong way.
“It’s always the same thing,” lamented Garlin. “It’s about me and my silliness on set. They don’t think it’s appropriate. I do. That’s where we’re at.”
He added that he didn’t know how to “respond” to the accusations “because as a comedian, if somebody is offended by what I say I, all I can say is, I’m sorry. Okay?”
Nonetheless, the “Mad About You” actor, who was reportedly nearly sacked in 2019 due to inappropriate language during production, has admitted to liberally using the word “vagina” on set, Deadline reported. Other frequent complaints involved his frequently discussing “balls,” using demeaning language, and referring to longtime female colleagues by offensive nicknames.
Some said they also felt uncomfortable with the actor’s penchant for handing out hugs — a habit that Garlin admitted to.
“It’s quick hugs, but I didn’t realize that anyone was feeling—so if you want to write that story, that’s a true story,” he said. “It puts the onus on them to say something, and I would gladly respect anyone who said, ‘Please don’t hug me. I don’t feel comfortable.’”
Showrunners for “The Goldbergs” have yet to reveal if the show will be renewed for a tenth season in light of Garlin’s termination.
It’s also yet unclear if the funnyman’s firing will impact his tenure on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” where he serves as both a main cast member and executive producer.
Jeff Garlin Exits ‘The Goldbergs’ After HR Investigation
Actor Jeff Garlin will not return to ABC’s comedy series “The Goldbergs” following a string of misconduct allegations against the actor and an HR investigation into his on-set behavior.
Two sources close to the production confirmed to Variety that it was a mutual decision that Garlin would not return to “The Goldbergs.”
Garlin has been one of the most prominent stars of “The Goldbergs” since the series premiered in 2013. Reports indicate that Garlin will not complete his work on the remainder of the production of the show’s ninth season. His termination is effective immediately. It remains uncertain how the show will explain the absence of one of its most central characters.
Garlin had recently addressed allegations against him in an interview with Vanity Fair, acknowledging that an HR investigation into his on-set behavior had been ongoing for the past three years and dismissing a rumor that he had been fired from the series.
“Well, to be honest with you, there is no story,” Garlin said in the interview. “We have a difference of opinion, Sony and myself. Okay. My opinion is, I have my process about how I’m funny, in terms of the scene and what I have to do. They feel that it makes for a quote ‘unsafe’ workspace. Now, mind you, my silliness making an unsafe workspace — I don’t understand how that is… I am always a kind and thoughtful person. I make mistakes, sure. But my comedy is about easing people’s pain. Why would I ever want to cause pain in anybody for a laugh? That’s bullying. That’s just uncalled for.”
When pressed on whether he was considering an exit from “The Goldbergs,” Garlin responded by saying, “We’re trying to come to a place where we come to an agreement. Either I can behave the way [they want] or not. We’ll see, but I’m not being fired and I’ve not been fired… When I do shoot more days, just to make it go smooth, I will not be doing any of my silly stuff or anything, out of respect.”
Beyond “The Goldbergs,” Garlin is also a main cast member and executive producer on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” It remains uncertain whether the actor’s termination at the ABC sitcom will have any effect on his tenure at the HBO series.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produces “The Goldbergs,” and ABC both declined to comment, while reps for Garlin could not be reached.
The news was first reported by Deadline.
Jeff Garlin Exits ‘The Goldbergs’ Following HR Investigations – Deadline
ABC’s long-running comedy The Goldbergs lost a series regular when George Segal died earlier this year. Now another star who plays a member of the Goldbergs clan, Jeff Garlin, is departing following multiple misconduct allegations and HR investigations.
According to sources, a mutual agreement was reached today that Garlin will not be returning to the show. His exit is effective immediately. Reps for Sony Pictures Television, which produces the comedy, had no comment.
Garlin was believed to have one more day of shooting left at the most this season, which consists of 18 episodes, after his schedule had been reduced. No decision has been made yet on a potential tenth season of The Goldbergs, which remains one of ABC’s strongest comedy series.
The veteran comedian addressed some of the accusations and confirmed that he had been the subject of HR probes in an extensive interview with Vanity Fair’s Maureen Ryan earlier this month, in which he also denied speculation that he has been fired from the show.
Following the VF interview, Deadline was contacted by a number of current and former co-workers of Garlin. Speaking on condition of anonymity over fear of retribution, they spoke of a great work environment on the show, which would change dramatically on the days Garlin is on set.
“He is extremely verbally and emotionally abusive,” a Goldbergs employee told Deadline.
In his VF interview, Garlin dismissed accusations of being verbally offensive by saying that he is just being “silly” as part of his schtick as a comedian. He did note his penchant for dropping the word “vagina” on the set.
According to a source on the show, a camera assistant made a complaint to her department head about Garlin’s use of the word. After the actor found out, he reportedly put his hands around her and kept saying “vagina” in her face over and over again. Overall, Garlin’s go-to jokes that a number of people on the show found offensive were talking about grandma’s vagina, balls and brassier, a co-worker said. Additionally, he would not address some longtime female crew members by name, using instead nicknames that some also considered offensive.
The VF interview addresses an incident involving Garlin and two longtime stand-ins on the show, a married couple who are beloved by the cast and crew.
Garlin referred to it as “a joke that was completely missed—because I like this guy. I like his wife. I’ve worked with them for years.”
According to an eyewitness of the incident, Garlin did not appear to be joking as he walked behind the female stand-in. “He screamed at her, ‘why are you always in my way? Get the f*ck out of my way’ as she was walking down the ramp on the set after they had done blocking for a scene. She was confused and looked around.” Garlin then turned to the woman’s husband,, saying, “tell your wife to get the f*ck out of my way”.
According to sources, cast and crew were appalled, and “this was was the straw that broke the camel’s back” in terms of their tolerance for Garlin’s antics, leading to new HR complaints.
“Not just would he intimated that woman, he would then turn around and belittle and embarrass her husband,” the witness said. “This is just the grossest abuse of power.”
Since that incident, which happened about two months ago, Garlin has only been in a couple of times, sources said. They indicated that his behavior had not changed, and he mocked the guidelines he had been given by HR.
Jeff Garlin addresses accusations of inappropriate behavior on The Goldbergs
Jeff Garlin broke standard PR protocol this week, granting an interview to Vanity Fair’s Maureen Ryan that directly addressed allegations of inappropriate behavior on the set of his ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. The resulting conversation is a fascinating read: a blend of candidness, defensiveness, and repeated attempts by the Curb Your Enthusiasm star to categorize behavior that other people have said made them feel uncomfortable as simply him being “silly” on the show’s set.
Garlin begins the interview by clarifying that he has not been fired from The Goldbergs, something Ryan was apparently having a difficult time getting a straight answer on from Sony, which produces the show. He then goes on to admit that he’s been investigated by HR on the series every year for the last three years of the show, all for behavior he refers to as, yes, “silliness,” which is a word you’re going to read a lot in this interview.
For what we can only assume are a variety of mostly legal-related reasons, Garlin never describes exactly what he means by “silly” behavior—beyond giving one example of saying “Oh, my vagina” in front of cast or crew. From context clues, it mostly seems to mean making a lot of jokes of various levels of inappropriateness that makes people on the set uncomfortable, who then go to HR because directly confronting the series lead about his jokes (or, apparently, frequent hugs) can be disastrous for their careers. Here he is when asked about what he’s been investigated by HR over:
I’m not going to go over it because I don’t want to, but basically a lot of things that I disagree with—that are silly. If I said something silly and offensive, and I’m working at an insurance company, I think it’s a different situation. If I, as the star of the show, demanded a gun range and on set, and I was firing guns every day and I was a little bit loose—to me, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. If I threatened people, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. None of that goes on ever with me. That’s not who I am. I am sorry to tell you that there really is no big story. Unless you want to do a story about political correctness.
For what it’s worth, Garlin seems receptive to some of the points Ryan makes with her questions—even as he notes that she has an “agenda”—most notably the repeated reminder that behavior that might seem harmless from his point of view as the lead on the series might seem more discomfort-inducing or harmful when viewed from those in positions of lesser power.
Here he is, for instance, when asked who decides what the difference between “silly” and harmful behavior might be:
I completely concur with you. It is a big bowl of “who determines?” It’s definitely gray, but we have to see it from the big picture, in terms of, that’s how I’m funny on camera. I’ve only had a negative experience with my behavior on The Goldbergs. I’ve never had it before or since—I’ve worked for Disney, I’ve worked for every studio in town.
It is, as we said, a very strange interview, as Ryan attempts to drill down with the actor and stand-up on the relevant issues, and Garlin varies between openly addressing them, assuring readers that he means no harm to anyone, and repeatedly characterizing the problems people have expressed with him as being blown out of proportion. He also makes it clear that he’s pretty done with The Goldbergs in any case; he makes it clear that he’s upset with how he’s been asked to curtail his behaviors on the show’s set, and expresses his belief that it’s unlikely that the long-running sitcom will be picked up for another season.