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The Goldbergs star Jeff Garlin’s alleged on set abuse of the show’s crew is being further exposed in the new Hollywood exposé, Burn It Down.
In the book — released Tuesday, June 6 — it’s claimed that the actor, 61, used his ‘power and status to intimidate and demean everyone on this crew.’
Garlin played the role of patriarch Murray Goldberg for nine seasons before abruptly exiting the ABC sitcom in 2021 after a reported three-year HR investigation into his alleged inappropriate ‘verbal and physical conduct.’
A source told author Maureen Ryan that Garlin’s behavior would be ‘harassing, disparaging or physically problematic.’
It was also claimed that the Curb Your Enthusiasm alum used ‘demeaning, graphic, sexual language’ towards crew members during production.
The Goldbergs star Jeff Garlin’s alleged on set abuse of the show’s cast and crew is being further exposed in the new Hollywood exposé, Burn It Down; seen in 2021
In the book — released Tuesday, June 6 — it’s claimed that the actor, 61, used his ‘power and status to intimidate and demean everyone on this crew’; seen with co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey
Series showrunner Adam F. Goldberg and other higher-ups co-signed Garlin’s conduct by letting him run unchecked despite complaints, another source alleged.
‘It was a big boys club of men who were probably always kind of the dorks in high school that got picked on, then all of a sudden, they had this power,’ they explained.
Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood explores the dark side of the entertainment industry, particularly the ‘patterns of harassment and bias’ that run rampant.
It also delves into ‘the grassroots reforms under way, and the labor and activist revolutions that recent scandals have ignited.’
Ryan is an acclaimed writer and reporter who once served as a television critic for Huffington Post before becoming Variety’s chief TV critic.
She’s currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and has previously spoken on her own harassment in Hollywood, which includes an alleged sexual assault by an unnamed television executive in 2014.
The latest claims made about Garlin come two months after his former co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey — who played Murray’s neurotic wife Beverly Goldberg for all 10 seasons — gave her first verbal statement on his exit.
Garlin has insisted that he was never fired from the show and told Vanity Fair that it was a ‘mutual decision’ with him and the network.
Garlin played the role of patriarch Murray Goldberg for nine seasons before abruptly exiting the ABC sitcom in 2021 after a reported three-year HR investigation into his alleged inappropriate ‘verbal and physical conduct’
It was also claimed that the Curb Your Enthusiasm alum used ‘demeaning, graphic, sexual language’ towards crew members during production
His character Murray was ultimately killed off in the ninth season.
During an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Sirius XM show in March, McLendon-Covey, 53, remarked that Garlin’s departure had been ‘a long time coming.
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‘That it finally happened, it was like, “OK, OK, someone’s finally listening to us.” But that was kind of hard though, because we had lost George Segal in real life,’ she said.
Segal — who played beloved grandfather Albert ‘Pops’ Goldberg — tragically passed away in March 2021 due to bypass surgery complications.
‘To have to go through another loss on a sitcom, you can’t keep asking your audience to mourn people. That’s not why they tune in,’ McLendon-Covey explained.
When Cohen tried to ask more about Garlin’s accusations, McLendon-Covey said, ‘If we could not talk about that, that would be great,’ which Cohen agreed to.
She admitted that she’s ‘exhausted by that topic and the PTSD of it all’
‘I just feel like the less people know about that, the better. No one benefits from knowing anything.’
McLendon-Covey first spoke about Garlin’s exit from the show in a tweet, before she deactivated her account.
A journalist shared a clip from a Season 9 episode where Garlin was inserted into a scene, stating, ‘They should either cancel The Goldbergs or kill off Jeff Garlin’s character because the workarounds they’ve been using this season ain’t working.’
McLendon-Covey answered, ‘Thanks for the great suggestion Noel! This season threw us for a loop because a.) it’s hard to incorporate someone who doesn’t want to be there and wants to leave mid-scene, and b.) we weren’t about to re-write the 2nd half of the season. We’re doing our best.’
The show ultimately killed off Garlin, who also reportedly slammed the show in a stand-up set in Hollywood just weeks before he was fired, according to Variety.
While phones weren’t allowed in the club, he said that he hated the show and only kept showing up for the paycheck.
He also shared a joke he often told on the set that offended a crew member and led to talk of him getting fired.
Garlin has insisted that he was never fired from the show and told Vanity Fair that it was a ‘mutual decision’ with him and the network; seen in 2017
During an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Sirius XM show in March, McLendon-Covey, 53, said that Garlin’s departure had been ‘a long time coming’; the pair pictured on The Goldbergs
‘That it finally happened, it was like, ‘OK, OK, someone’s finally listening to us.’ But that was kind of hard though, because we had lost George Segal in real life,’ she said; (L-R) the late George Segal with Wendi and Jeff
‘A lot of days on The Goldbergs, I sit in a Barcalounger in tighty whities for the whole day, and I think to myself, “Who did I blow to get this job?” he said during the show.
He added that after getting up from his chair on the joke, he would always make the same joke, ‘Ah, my vagina. Ah, achy vagina. Ah, my vagina’s killing me.’
Garlin added, ‘I get called in, and they go, “Look, you can’t do this.” And I go, “Oh yes, I can.” They go, “You might get fired.” I go, “I’d love to be fired and have it hit the papers: Cover of TMZ: ‘Jeff Garlin Fired Because His Vagina Hurts.”‘
‘I’m on a comedy. I’m a comedian. Let’s get over. I don’t have a vagina. I think everyone knows that,’ he said.
