Jeffrey Tambor accused of sexual harassment
Transgender actress says 'Transparent' star pressed his body against hers in a sexually aggressive manner; Tambor denies the claim.
Following accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct from two people tied to the production of the Amazon series “Transparent,” Jeffrey Tambor seems like he has decided to step away from his starring role on the show.
Although vehemently denying any wrongdoing, the actor, who has won numerous awards for his role on the show, gave an ominous statement to Fox News in which he appears to claim he’s leaving the show. However, it's worth noting that no official decision has been made.
“Playing Maura Pfefferman on ‘Transparent’ has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life,” he told the outlet. “What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago. 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.”
Tambor continued, essentially giving his resignation from the role saying, “given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to ‘Transparent.’”
Tambor has won two Emmys for portraying Maura Pfefferman in the highly regarded show, which is now in its fourth season. Many interpreted his words to mean that he was leaving the show, which has not been confirmed.
As previously reported, the 73-year-old actor was accused by his former assistant, a transgender woman named Van Barnes, of inappropriate behavior. The claim was made on a private Facebook message, but prompted the studio to investigate Tambor and the circumstances surrounding the alleged misconduct.
At the time, Tambor was swift to deny the allegations completely saying he had, “never engaged in any improper behavior towards this person or any other persons.”
Soon after, Trace Lysette, another transgender woman who worked as a cast member on “Transparent” alleged that Tambor pressed his body against hers in a sexual way while on set.
Tambor’s status on the show, despite the statement, is unconfirmed as of now. However, previous rumors indicate that the writers have been working on building Season 5 without the show’s main character.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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