Actor Jeffrey Tambor has announced that he will not be returning for season five of Transparent after two of his trans colleagues accused him of sexual harassment.
“Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life,” Tambor.
“What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago,” he said.
“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.
“Given the politicised atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.”
Actress Trace Lysette has alleged that Tambor sexually harassed her on the set of the Amazon series saying he made “lewd, sexually suggestive and unwelcomed remarks to her” and that he “physically pressed up against Lysette in a sexually aggressive manner during a break in filming.”
Tambor’s former assistant—Van Barnes—has him of inappropriate behaviour and Amazon has been investigating all claims.
In a statement, Lysette wrote that she hoped Amazon could use this opportunity as a “teachable moment to re-centre the other trans characters in the show with the family members instead of just pulling it”.
“Let our brilliant writers continue to craft that is entertaining and creates social change the way they know how.
"Don’t let the trans community suffer for the actions of one male cis actor.”
She continued to say that Transparent has been a “guiding light in the industry, by employing more trans people in Hollywood than any other production in history, which made it even more difficult to speak out”.
“For too long transgender women have been forced to hide stories of harassment and abuse in the workplace, and Trace has taken a powerful stand in calling for an industry where all women can work in safe environments.
“GLAAD stands with Trace in her hope that the inappropriate situations she and others endured on set will be remedied, and that future seasons will focus on more of the many brilliant characters that audiences love and care about.”
Transparent creator Jill Soloway at a panel this weekend that they were unable to comment on the situation while the investigation was underway.
Before Tambor announced he would not be returning to the acclaimed TV series, Transparent writer and producer Our Lady J that she supported Lysette and her call for the series to continue without him.
“Thank you for your leadership, Trace. Thank you for speaking up. And thank you for your proposed solution at the end of your statement. You are right — we cannot let trans content be taken down by a single cis man.”
Transgender writer and activist Janet Mock wrote on Twitter: "I, too, have rolled my eyes to move on and survive, believing no one would believe me. I hear you, believe you & applaud your courage to speak up."
Comedian Cole Escola (Difficult People, At Home With Amy Sedaris) tweeted a solution to Tambor’s character being absent in the fifth season of Transparent:
