Update: In a statement to Vanity Fair, Jeffrey Tambor responds to his removal from Transparent, calling Amazon's investigation into his alleged behavior "deeply flawed" and "biased toward the toxic politicized atmosphere that afflicted our set."
Read the full statement over here.
Original story published below on February 15, 2018 at 5:10 p.m.
According to Deadline, Amazon has fired actor Jeffrey Tambor, who played Maura Pfefferman on Transparent, following allegations of sexual harassment from his former assistant Van Barnes and actress Trace Lysette, who plays Shea on the series. While no details of the investigation, which began on November 8, have been made public, sources told Deadline that Tambor’s behavior "could not be justified or excused under scrutiny."
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The alleged inappropriate behavior includes an unknown instance detailed on Barnes' private Facebook, according to Vanity Fair, and an encounter told by Lysette to The Hollywood Reporter.
"He came in close, put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrusts back and forth against my body. I felt his penis on my hip through his thin pajamas," she told the outlet.
Tambor had already threatened not to return to the series after the initial allegations.
"Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life. What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago," the actor told Deadline. "I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue. Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent."
A representative for Tambor later walked back on that statement, saying the actor had no plans to quit.
However, now that Tambor has been removed from the show, Soloway, who identifies as non-binary, told Deadline they "have great respect and admiration for Van Barnes and Trace Lysette, whose courage in speaking out about their experience on Transparent is an example of the leadership this moment in our culture requires. We are grateful to the many trans people who have supported our vision for Transparent since its inception and remain heartbroken about the pain and mistrust their experience has generated in our community."
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They also added that the show was taking "definitive action" to ensure the future safety of everyone on set.
Refinery29 has reached out to Tambor for comment.
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