Jeff Garlin Has Left “The Goldbergs” After An HR Investigation Into His On-Set Behavior

As a part-time fan of the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, I can tell all non-Goldbergs viewers that Jeff Garlin plays the patriarch, Murray Goldberg. He’s a little crusty, a bit grumpy, but overall a caring father and loving husband, even when he’s calling people “morons.” Well, Jeff Garlin might not have been acting that much when he stepped on set. The only acting could have been reduced to acting caring and loving, because according to Deadline, Jeff Garlin is out at The Goldbergs after an HR investigation was concluded regarding his behavior. And it sounds like maybe he was guilty of calling people morons after the director yelled cut.

Last month, there was talk that Jeff was getting fired from The Goldbergs for “inappropriate behavior,” and that HR was looking into it. That “inappropriate behavior” could mean anything, so Jeff decided to take it upon himself to do his own damage control and get his side of things out there. Earlier this month, Vanity Fair decided to look into it, and when they contacted Sony Pictures Television, they responded with this:

“The well-being of our cast and crew is of utmost importance to us. This is an employment matter and it is being addressed by HR and production.”

Which sounds serious! But when Vanity Fair spoke to Jeff, he said that no, he had not been fired from the show. He also brushed off any accusations of behaving poorly on set. via Deadline:

In the talk, he defended his alleged actions as merely “silly,” and said he was a “hugger,” and had not been told about any aversion to his practice, even while admitting that the show’s human resources department had spoken with him three times in the last three years about his conduct.

“If I said something silly and offensive, and I’m working at an insurance company, I think it’s a different situation. If I, as the star of the show, demanded a gun range and on set, and I was firing guns every day and I was a little bit loose – to me, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. If I threatened people, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. None of that goes on ever with me. That’s not who I am. I am sorry to tell you that there really is no big story. Unless you want to do a story about political correctness,” he said.

After the Vanity Fair interview was published, several anonymous sources approached Deadline with what they claim is the other side of the story (the side Sony Pictures Television was being deliberately vague about). And yeah, silly and hugging might have been understatements. via Deadline:

According to a source on the show, a camera assistant made a complaint to her department head about Garlin’s use of the word [vagina]. After the actor found out, he reportedly put his hands around her and kept saying “vagina” in her face over and over again. Overall, Garlin’s go-to jokes that a number of people on the show found offensive were talking about grandma’s vagina, balls and brassier, a co-worker said. Additionally, he would not address some longtime female crew members by name, using instead nicknames that some also considered offensive.

“He is extremely verbally and emotionally abusive,” a Goldbergs employee told Deadline.

One of Deadline’s sources said the last straw was a day on set when Jeff allegedly went full-asshole on a female stand-in (who happens to be married to a male stand-in from the set). The source said:

“He screamed at her, ‘Why are you always in my way? Get the fuck out of my way’ as she was walking down the ramp on the set after they had done blocking for a scene. She was confused and looked around.” Garlin then turned to the woman’s husband, saying, “Tell your wife to get the fuck out of my way.”

Multiple sources confirmed that a deal was reached, and Jeff – who has been on The Goldbergs since it premiered in 2013 – would be gone ASAP. Jeff reportedly had one more day of shooting left in the original 18-episode Season 9 order, but they’re not going to deal with his absence by shooting a curly wig placed on a stack of pillows. A source tells them they shot using Jeff’s stand-in, and will superimpose his face in post. ABC reportedly approved an extra 4 episode order for the season, and one could assume they’ll be addressing Jeff’s exit in one of those additional episodes.

But Jeff may be done on The Goldbergs, but he’s still on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, where he’s played Jeff Greene since 2000 and serves as an Executive Producer.

And if the sources from set are true, then people might have been literally celebrating Jeff’s exit. Sources tell Deadline that executives came to The Goldbergs set to congratulate everyone on their 200th episode, and when they informed everyone that Jeff was gone for good, the mood was “ecstatic” and “some people cheered.” I still don’t know how a person acts like such a pain in the ass on an ABC family sitcom? And a cutesy throwback show set in the 1980s at that. Maybe Jeff took the period setting as inspiration, and decided he was going to go full-80s method by acting like an antagonistic coked-up asshole on set? Jeff, it’s not worth it, it’s just ABC!

Pic: Wenn.com