ABC/Lou Rocco(LOS ANGELES) — Jeffrey Tambor is speaking out for the first time since being accused by two women of sexual harassment while he starred on the hit show “Transparent.”
The 73-year-old actor has since been fired from the web TV series that centers on a transgender woman after an internal investigation by Amazon Studios. The investigation followed sexual harassment allegations aimed against him by his former personal assistant, Van Barnes, and actress Trace Lysette.
Tambor has continued to deny the allegations, saying in a previous statement to ABC News, “I am profoundly disappointed in Amazon’s handling of these false accusations against me.”
There has been no police investigation.
In a lengthy interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Tambor said he discovered via a text message that he wouldn’t be returning as Maura Pfefferman for the fifth season of Transparent.
And although he still maintains his innocence, he does admit that he was “difficult” to work with.
“I drove myself and my castmates crazy. Lines got blurred. I was difficult. I was mean,” he said in the interview. “I yelled at [creator] Jill [Soloway] — she told me recently she was afraid of me. I yelled at the wonderful [executive producer] Bridget Bedard in front of everybody. I made her cry. And I apologized and everything, but still, I yelled at her. The assistant directors. I was rude to my assistant.”
Lysette claims Tambor made sexual advances toward her on set, including pressing his genitals up against her.
Although he won’t appear on Transparent, Tambor will still be on the small screen. The actor is returning to Arrested Development for its upcoming fifth season, a Netflix representative confirmed to ABC News. The actor will resume his role as George Bluth Sr. on the sitcom.
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