Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor has officially been fired from the series after an internal investigation by Amazon Studios. He will not reprise his role in the forthcoming fifth season.
Tambor was accused of sexual harassment by two transgender actresses. Trace Lysette, a Transparent cast member, told The Hollywood Reporter that Tambor had sexually harassed her on multiple occasions — one of which “got physical.” “One minute Jeffrey is lovely, the next it’s a temper tantrum or flirtation,” she said.
Van Barnes, a former assistant of Tambor’s, accused the actor of sexually inappropriate behavior on a private social media post.
In a statement released after those allegations, Tambor said he couldn’t see how he could return to the series due to the “politicized atmosphere.”
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. 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.
Jill Soloway, the creator of Transparent, spoke out in a statement alongside the news of the official firing on Thursday. “I 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,” she continued. “We are taking definitive action to ensure our workplace respects the safety and dignity of every individual, and are taking steps to heal as a family.”
The writing staff of the Amazon series has already begun reworking the fifth season, which was slated to begin production and premiere this year.
