Six women crew members from the reboot of ABC’s The Wonder Years have accused the executive producer and director, Fred Savage, of sexual harassment and assault.
The complaint surfaced in February when the crew members confronted Disney, who owns ABC.
An HR executive soon banned Savage, 46, from the set and began an investigation into the claims “immediately”, the claimants have said.
The Wonder Years reboot is a 2021 TV series of the 1988 coming-of-age sitcom that came to an end in 1993.
The women described accounts of Savage’s alleged buse to The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “When he pulled me aside multiple times when he was verbally harassing me, his eyes would go dead ... he flips a switch and he’s Fred Savage.”
Another claimant states that she made friends with the director before being abruptly fired. The actor and producer later allegedly sent her an apology message to which she did not reply.
She said: “He put his mouth on mine very forcefully. He went for the top of my pants. I brushed him away.
“Then he put his mouth on mine again, grabbed my hand and pulled it on his groin area. I was pulling back. He stopped very angrily. I shoulder-checked him so I could get out.”
News broke that Savage was fired from the production on May 7, due to “allegations of inappropriate conduct”.
Savage has told The Hollywood Reporter: “Since I was six years old, I have worked on hundreds of sets with thousands of people, and have always strived to contribute to an inclusive, safe and supportive work environment.
“It is devastating to learn that there are co-workers who feel I have fallen short of these goals. While there are some incidents being reported that absolutely did not and could not have happened, any one person who feels hurt or offended by my actions is one person too many.”
He added: “I will work to address and change any behaviour that has negatively affected anyone, as nothing in this world is more important to me than being a supportive co-worker, friend, husband, father and person.”
The Evening Standard has contacted ABC for comment.
It is not the first time that the producer has faced allegations surrounding his behaviour. In 1993, Savage was sued by costume designer Monique Long, who accused him and his The Wonder Years co-star, Jason Hervey, of verbal and physical harassment.
Later in 2018, a crew member on Fox’s The Sitcom accused Savage of assault and intimidation. However, the 46-year-old has denied these claims and an investigation by 20th Century Fox Television cleared him.
Younjoo Hwang, a costume designer for The Sitcom, raised allegations of assault, battery, gender harassment and gender discrimination against Savage but did not take the complaints further due to fear of being banned from the industry.
