Fred Savage has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by six women.
Fred Savage faces sexual assault and harassment allegations
The ‘Wonder Years’ star - who was fired from the reboot earlier this year after directing nine episodes of the ABC reboot - was let go after the allegations were made on set after production “started immediately'' into the 46-year-old former child star-turned-executive producer’s conduct.
Two of the six of the anonymous accusers told the Hollywood Reporter about what they claim it was like to work with Fred.
One said: “To their credit, I was contacted within hours. An investigation started immediately and he was barred from set.”
The news - which broke in May - was met with a confirmation by a representative from 20th Television, who referred to “allegations of inappropriate conduct” but did not give any further detail.
Reports later circulated that the actor was “doing a lot of self-reflecting” and lauded the “overwhelming support” he was receiving from people at the sitcom - which has been renewed for a second series - prompting the accusers to speak out.
One told the same outlet: “I and the other women feel that people need to know what the wrongdoing was.”
The two women - who were not identified by the paper - believe there are two different sides to the former ‘Boy Meets World’ star.
One said: “His eyes would go dead” as he shifted from one mood to another.
According to the THR, the six women - who asked to have their identities kept secret by Disney - allege verbal harassment and an alleged assault of an ex crew member.
The other described how the higher ups would “all see his absolute perfect, best face” but saved his nastier side for “below-the-line employees who don’t have power.”
One of the alleged victims - who at the time of the alleged incident no longer worked on the show - claim that Fred followed her into the women’s restroom at a bar often frequented by the crew after work and “forcefully” kissed her and then “pulled” her hand to “his groin area”.
She said: “He was buying shots for everyone,” and then later when she went to the loo, Fred appeared.
She continued: “I started laughing, like, ‘What are you doing? This is a women’s bathroom,’” before saying he came towards her with ‘just like, dead eyes” and pushed her up against the 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.”
“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.”
She detailed how afterwards when Fred allegedly texted her - after he left the premises allegedly with a young female crewmember - to come to his home she “laughed it off” but was “honestly scared”.
She said: “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.”
Following this, she claimed that Fred kept texting and calling her, eventually stopping until he left a voicemail message.
The message, which she shared with the Hollywood Reporter, went: “It’s your old friend Fred. 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.
The group assert they mainly complained about Fred’s conduct towards the young crew member’s safety but also wanted to challenge his claimed “support” for women.
They told the paper: “These men in charge know what the public is looking for and they know what words to use. “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.”
In response to the allegations, Fred told the magazine: “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.”