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Netflix Cancels ‘Arrested Development’ U.K. Press Tour Amid Controversy

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Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, Jessica Walter, Tony Hale and Will Arnett arrive for the premiere of Netflix's "Arrested Development" Season 5 at Netflix FYSee Theater on May 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Gabriel Olsen/WireImage

Change of plans. Netflix has canceled the Arrested Development U.K. press tour amid backlash the cast has received over a New York Times interview that was published earlier this week.

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“We had planned to have most of the Arrested Development cast in London this week to support the launch of the new season and meet fans,” Netflix said in a statement on Thursday, May 24. “At this time we have decided not to move ahead with promotional activity in the U.K. but hope to bring the cast back at another time.”

Some of the male cast came under fire for defending Jeffrey Tambor’s alleged behavior on the set of the comedy. Although Jessica Walter broke down in tears while speaking about the alleged verbal harassment she experienced from Tambor, the men continued to minimize the problem.

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“Again, not to belittle it or excuse it or anything, but in the entertainment industry it is incredibly common to have people who are, in quotes, ‘difficult,'” Bateman said during the discussion. “And when you’re in a privileged position to hire people, or have an influence in who does get hired, you make phone calls. And you say, “Hey, so I’ve heard X about person Y, tell me about that.” And what you learn is context. And you learn about character and you learn about work habits, work ethics, and you start to understand. Because it’s a very amorphous process, this sort of [expletive] that we do, you know, making up fake life. It’s a weird thing, and it is a breeding ground for atypical behavior and certain people have certain processes.”

Walter, through tears, later interjected: “But it’s hard because honestly — Jason says this happens all the time. In like almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set. And it’s hard to deal with, but I’m over it now.”

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At one point, David Cross chimed in: “One thing that Jeffrey has said a number of times that I think is important, that you don’t often hear from somebody in his position, is that he learned from the experience and he’s listening and learning and growing. That’s important to remember.”

Many fans took to social media to defend Walter and slam her costars. Others vowed to not watch the series again while some asked Netflix to cancel the show.

Since then, Bateman, Tony Hale and Cross have apologized for their part in the situation. The Veep star and Cross both said they spoke to Walter privately. Additionally, Cross said he had been off Twitter “at the behest of” his wife, Amber Tamblyn, who stated in her own tweet that she was “mad” at him for the NYT piece.

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