The actor Jeffrey Tambor will depart Transparent — one of Amazon’s most synonymous original shows — following accusations of sexual harassment by two women involved in the Emmy-winning production.
Tambor denies the allegations of inappropriate language and physical contact made by his former assistant, Van Barnes, as well as Transparent semi-regular Trace Lysette. “I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive,” the 73-year-old told Deadline in a statement, “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.”
Tambor’s decision to leave the series comes as writers were reportedly working to phase him out of Transparent‘s upcoming fifth season. Barnes, Tambor’s former assistant, claimed in a Facebook post that he had propositioned her, made lewd comments, groped her, and threatened to sue her if she spoke out, Deadline reports. These accusations were followed by claims last week from Lysette that Tambor had made lewd remarks and unwelcome physical contact with her on set.
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“I know I haven’t always been the easiest person to work with. I can be volatile and ill-tempered, and too often I express my opinions harshly and without tact,” Tambor said in a previous statement on Nov. 11 following Lysette’s claims. “But the fact is, for all my flaws, I am not a predator and the idea that someone might see me in that way is more distressing than I can express.”
In addition to Transparent, Amazon has been coping with sexual harassment charges at the very top of its video division. Amazon Studio head Roy Price resigned in October following charges of sexual harassment.
