Over the weekend, fans were shocked by the news that Fred Savage had been fired from The Wonder Years amid allegations of gross misconduct.
Savage, of course, was the star of the original ABC sitcom that aired from 1988 to 1993.
Until recently, he was a director and executive producer of ABC’s reboot of the groundbreaking series.
He was let go from the show following an investigation into claims about his inappropriate behavior on set.
“Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched,” reads a statement from ABC’s parent network, 20th Television.
“Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of The Wonder Years.”
So what exactly did Savage do?
Well, details are tough to come by, but it seems that the 45 year old was not let go as a result of an isolated incident.
US Weekly and other outlets have reported that the investigation was the result of “multiple” allegations against Savage.
And this is not the first time that the actor-turned-director has been accused of behaving inapporpriately on set.
In a 2018, a woman who worked in the costume department of the Fox show The Grinder alleged that she had been sexually harassed by Savage.
On that occasion, Savage issued a statement in which he vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
“I was made aware that a woman working in the costume department of a show I was on almost three years ago has claimed that I treated her harshly on set simply because she was a woman,” he said at the time.
“These accusations are completely without merit and absolutely untrue. Fox conducted an extensive internal investigation into her claims, a process in which I fully participated,” Savage continued.
“After concluding a thorough investigation, Fox determined that there was absolutely no evidence to support these accusations. None of her claims could be substantiated because they did not happen.”
Way back in 1993, a costume designer on the original Wonder Years filed a lawsuit in which she alleged that she had been harassed by Savage and co-star Jason Hervey.
The suit was settled out of court, and the allegations made few headlines, as the show had already wrapped filming on its final season.
It seems unlikely that Savage will be able to bounce back as easily from his latest difficulty.
Savage’s is the latest in a recent string of high profile firings resulting from harassment on set.
Just last month, production was suspended on the Aziz Ansari-directed feature Being Mortal after Bill Murray was accused of inappropriate behavior.
The following week, Frank Langella was let go from Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher after a co-star alleged that he groped her while filming a sex scene.
Langella issued a statement in which he denied any wrongdoing.
Thus far, Fred Savage has yet to publicly respond to the allegations against him.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
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