Fred Savage has been fired as the executive producer and director of ABC's "The Wonder Years" reboot following multiple complaints of misconduct. The 45-year-old actor was fired after "three different claims" of inappropriate behavior were "investigated," leading to his departure.
The details of the allegations are unclear, but the allegations reportedly included outbursts of anger and inappropriate behavior. "The Wonder Years", a remake of the popular 1988 sitcom starring Savage, has yet to be renewed for a second season, but it is still in the running. Savage has been the subject of misconduct accusations in the past also. He is yet to comment on the latest incident.
Unceremonious Exit
The producer of "The Wonder Years", 20th Century Fox, which is part of the Disney Television Studious, announced on Friday that Savage was fired from the show as the executive producer and director, without giving any details of the allegations.
"Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of The Wonder Years," a spokesman for 20th Television said in a statement.
The nature of the allegations against Savage, who appeared in the original '80s series, is unclear, but according to Deadline, the actor allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior and had verbal outbursts during filming.
Savage is also recognized for his work on "The Grinder" on Fox and "Friends From College" on Netflix. However, he has been considerably more active as a director over the last decade or two.
Savage was also the directing producer on Saladin K. Patterson's series that began in 2021, which he was closely involved in from the beginning, after his star-making role on the original The Wonder Years, which premiered in 1988.
Not The First Time
This isn't the first time Savage has been accused of inappropriate behavior. The original "Wonder Years" was terminated in 2018, according to actress Alley Mills, after a former costume designer Monique Long filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Savage, then 16, and co-star Jason Hervey, then 20. The case was settled out of court.
Mills, who played the mother of Savage's character Kevin Arnold, said the suit was "ridiculous," and that Savage was the "least offensive, most loving, sweet human being that ever walked the face of the Earth."
However, in 2018, Youngjoo Hwang, a costume designer on "The Grinder", filed a lawsuit against Savage and Fox, alleging that he smacked her arm and yelled at her not to approach him while she was dusting his clothing on set, and that he created a hostile workplace for women. Fox issued a statement at the time, claiming that a thorough inquiry had revealed no evidence of misconduct.
Savage also issued a statement at the time, claiming that "none of the allegations being leveled at me are true." In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Savage said it took him a long time to agree to reprise "The Wonder Years", which has yet to be renewed for a second season.
