A former crew member during the reboot of The good years accused Fred Savage to impose himself on her in a bar one evening in a new Hollywood journalist article detailing some of the allegations that may have led to Savage’s ousting from the show earlier this year.
In May, Savage was fired from his role as executive producer and director of The good years following an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct. Executives at Disney, which owns ABC – the network on which The good years released – declined to share details, however reports at the time highlighted incidents of “verbal outbursts and inappropriate behavior.”
According to the new THR piece, Savage’s exit came after a group of six women who worked on the show sent a complaint to Disney and spoke to a human resources manager about their concerns in February. While they all acknowledged that Savage could be kind, charismatic and supportive, they claim he was also prone to outbursts of anger and verbal harassment, especially towards women. The group added that they were concerned about Savage’s relationship with a much younger female crew member, as well as the “very blatant favouritism” he showed towards women who said Savage had it. later assaulted in a bar bathroom.
A representative of Savage did not return rolling stonerequest for comment from Savage, although Savage shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter: “Since the age of 6, I have worked on hundreds of sets with thousands of people, and I have always strived to contribute to an inclusive, safe and supportive work environment. It is devastating to learn that there are colleagues who think that I have not achieved these objectives. Although there are reported incidents that absolutely did not happen and could not have happened, anyone who feels hurt or offended by my actions is one too many I will work to address and change any behavior that has negatively affected someone, because nothing in this world is more important to me than being a colleague, friend , a husband, a father and a person who supports me.
An ABC/Disney representative referred to the statement shared by Disney in May: “Recently, we became aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct on the part of Fred Savage, and as required by policy, an investigation has Upon completion, the decision was made to end his employment as executive producer and director of The good years.”
The woman who claims Savage forced her into a bar says she and Savage became friends over several months and described their relationship as “very platonic”. She claimed Savage would take her to dinner, tried to boost her writing and acting careers, and even met her parents (he also reportedly tried to buy her expensive gifts, though the woman refused). Although the woman was abruptly fired from The good yearsshe said she did not believe Savage made that call and said he remained supportive.
One night in early December 2021, alleged wife Savage invited her to join a group of wonderful years people at a bar near the house in Atlanta where Savage stayed during production. After going to the bathroom, the woman claims Savage walked into the bathroom as she was exiting the cubicle and approached her with “like dead eyes” and pushed her against the wall.
“I said, ‘Please don’t do this.’ I meant ruining the friendship,” the woman said. “I was pleading, not so much out of fear, but it was no turning back.” She continued, “He put his mouth on mine with great force. He went to get the top of my pants. I swept it away. Then he put his mouth on mine again, grabbed my hand and pulled it to his groin area. I was stepping back. He stopped very angry. I checked it on the shoulder so I could get out.
After the alleged incident, the woman claims that Savage tried to contact her several times to meet, although she never accepted his invitations. She also shared a voicemail Savage left for her that she never replied to: “It’s your old friend Fred,” Savage allegedly said in the post. “We worked together for a while, then we didn’t work anymore, then I was a huge asshole. A huge asshole. And I’m really sorry. And I kind of owed you an apology for a minute here and so, uh, the truth is I really love you guys and I really want to be friends and I’m so sorry I messed this up.
The other younger crew member, Savage, is said to have grown up close to The good years refused to speak with The Hollywood Reporter. A colleague, however, said Savage could be “extremely in control of his day-to-day behaviors” and added, “He was manipulative and erratic.” Another woman said she once tried to protect the young crew member from Savage, who “started verbally harassing me and putting me down.”
There were also additional claims that the young woman had essentially moved into the house Savage lived in during production. The group of six women who reported Savage to Disney said the relationship was one of the main reasons they filed their complaint.
“We all felt supported by Fred. We really thought he supported women,” said one of the six women. “He told us that he supported women. But this kind of support is not real.