Jeff Garlin‘s behavior while working on The Goldbergs allegedly created a challenging environment for his colleagues.
According to veteran entertainment journalist Maureen Ryan’s new book, Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, published on Tuesday, June 6, the actor, 61, was allowed to be “disrespectful” and “disparaging” on set because showrunner Adam F. Goldberg allegedly turned a blind eye.
“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,” an insider recalled to Ryan in an excerpt, which referred to referring to Garlin, Goldberg, 47, and other men in positions of power on the show.
Meanwhile, a second source claimed that the comedian would use his “power and status” to “intimidate and demean” crew members. Several insiders called out Garlin for being “harassing, disparaging or physically problematic” throughout his time on the show.
In December 2021, the Curb Your Enthusiasm alum made headlines after Ryan broke the story about claims that he engaged in a “pattern of verbal and physical conduct that made people uncomfortable” while working on the sitcom. Garlin, for his part, denied the accusations following a human resources investigation.
“No, I was not fired from The Goldbergs. I have not been fired from The Goldbergs,” he told Vanity Fair after confirming to the outlet that Sony had been investigating his behavior for three years. “There was no … Nothing physical by any stretch of the imagination. And the verbal part was a joke that was completely missed — because I like this guy.”
He added: “If I said something silly and offensive, and I’m working at an insurance company, I think it’s a different situation. If I, as the star of the show, demanded a gun range and on set, and I was firing guns every day and I was a little bit loose — to me, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. If I threatened people, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. None of that goes on ever with me. That’s not who I am. I am sorry to tell you that there really is no big story. Unless you want to do a story about political correctness.”
The Illinois native, who played Murray Goldberg since the sitcom debuted in 2013, was ultimately released from his contract ahead of season 10. The Goldbergs was later canceled following 10 seasons at ABC.
Earlier this year, Garlin’s former costar Wendi McLendon-Covey referred to his exit as “a long time” coming. “And that it finally happened it was like, ‘OK, OK. Finally someone is listening to us,’” the actress, 53, said during an appearance on Andy Cohen‘s SiriusXM show in March.
Us Weekly has reached out to Garlin’s rep for comment.
Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood is available now.
