Fred Savage's 'Wonder Years' Reboot Colleagues Share New Details About Alleged Sexual Harassment, Assault
A new report is shedding light on Fred Savage‘s dismissal from The Wonder Years reboot.
According to THR, the 46-year-old actor – who was a director and executive producer on the series – was preparing to direct the ninth episode of the reboot when six women on the crew decided to come forward with a complaint against him.
The outlet writes that the group subsequently spoke with an HR executive, sharing their concerns about Fred‘s alleged conduct towards several women on the production.
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“To their credit, I was contacted within hours,” one member of the group said. “An investigation started immediately and he was barred from set.”
It was announced that Fred had been let go as an executive producer and director of the series in May. A rep for Disney’s 20th Television said the dismissal had to do with “allegations of inappropriate conduct,” but did not provide additional details.
It was later reported by Page Six that the former child star was “doing a lot of self-reflecting” after the firing. The outlet wrote that while Fred “knows he can be an a–hole at times,” he has had “‘overwhelming support’ from friends and colleagues on The Wonder Years production.” This inspired several women to contact THR about their decision to report their allegations to Disney.
“I and the other women feel that people need to know what the wrongdoing was,” one person said. She went on to note that Fred had been the subject of allegations in the past. In 1993, when Fred was 16, he was sued by a costumer on the original Wonder Years for sexual harassment and the case was settled. A female crewmember of The Grinder also claimed that he “constantly hurled profanities” at women on set, alleging that he had struck her during a costume fitting. The subsequent lawsuit was settled. In both cases, Fred denied any wrongdoing.
The women who worked on The Wonder Years reboot recalled feeling as those there were two different sides to Fred. While he was sometimes a friendly and supportive colleague, he also had a much darker, angrier side. One person said that when his mood would shift, the actor’s “eyes would go dead.” Another claimed that Fred never showed his bad side to other actors or executives.
“They all see his absolute perfect, best face,” she said, explaining that he sometimes showed a different side to “below-the-line employees who don’t have power.”
In a statement, Fred told THR: “Since I was 6 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. I will work to address and change any behavior 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.”
One source shared that she had a positive impression of Fred, calling him “very charming” and “very friendly.” However, she went on to admit she had been nervous about the “strangeness” of his relationship with one of the younger women working on the crew. Others echoed her sentiments, claiming that the young woman had moved into a house Fred was living in at the time and shared that she had received gifts from him.
Sources also said that she acknowledged to others that she was sometimes fearful when be became angry. One associate told THR that he was “extremely controlling of her daily behaviors” and called him “manipulative and erratic.” Another crewmember said she tried to shield the younger woman from Fred, causing him to “verbally harass me and belittle” her.
It was primarily concerns about the alleged relationship between Fred and this young woman that led several women to report him to HR. Another source said that she wasn’t the only one who received his attention on set, noting that he showed “blatant favoritism” to another crewmember in her early 30s. “I’ve been in the industry a long time. I’ve never seen anything quite like this, and I’ve seen a lot,” she said.
The woman in question told THR that Fred had become her friend over the course of several months on the show. “We became acquaintances and friends,” she said. “It was very platonic.” She recalled Fred trying to help her with her career, when suddenly she was fired.
“I was given no prior warning or cause,” she said, adding that she didn’t think her dismissal was caused by Fred. “I texted Fred. He was ecstatic. He was, `This is the beginning of your career. You’re going to move to L.A.’”
She was invited to join a group of people working on the show during a night out in Astoria. “He was buying shots for everyone,” she recounted. When she went to the restroom, Fred allegedly entered after her. “I started laughing, like, `What are you doing? This is a women’s bathroom,’” she said. She claimed that he approached her with “dead eyes” and pushed her against a wall.
“I said, `Please, don’t do this.’ I meant ruining the friendship. I was pleading, not from fear so much, but this was no going back,” she alleged. “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.”
The pair returned to the gathering and Fred left with the younger crewmember. She said that he then asked that she come to his house, but she declined. “To remain neutral I laughed it off like,`Ha ha, no, have a good night,’ because I was honestly scared of him for the first time,” she said.
He attempted to contact her for the ensuing weeks. “One time he just sent the word, `Tonight,’” she said. She also shared a voicemail he had allegedly left her with THR.
“It’s your old friend Fred,” he said, per the outlet. “We worked together for a while and then we didn’t and then I was a huge asshole. A huge asshole. And I’m really sorry. And I’ve kind of owed you an apology for a minute here and so, uh, the truth is I really like you and I really want to be friends and I’m so sorry that I fucked that up.”
Many of the women who reported his alleged behavior cited their concern for the younger crewmember as the primary motivation, but also expressed their disappointment in someone who had cast himself as an ally towards women in the entertainment industry. “These men in charge know what the public is looking for and they know what words to use,” said one. “We all felt supported by Fred. We truly thought he supported women. He told us he supported women. But this kind of support isn’t real.”