The Goldbergs actress Wendy McLendon-Covey has criticized her former co-star Jeff Garlin, who abruptly left the ABC sitcom last year while its ninth season was still filming.
McLendon-Covey, 52, poked fun at the 59-year-old actor for not wanting to be “present” for filming scenes of the film and suggested he would want to leave “in the middle of a scene”. She shared her opinion in response to a tweet from freelance journalist Noel Murray who suggested that the show either kill off the character Garlin, patriarch of the Murray Goldberg family, or cancel it entirely rather than repurposing already-filmed footage in an attempt to make scenes. gel.
“They should either cancel The Goldbergs or kill off Jeff Garlin’s character because the workarounds they used this season don’t work,” Murray wrote, adding an excerpt from a wedding scene that turned out to be heavily edited.
His tweet provoked a strong reaction from McLendon Covey.
“Thank you for the great offer, Noel!” McLendon-Covey immediately shaded before hinting at Garlin’s alleged disinterest in the sitcom. “This season has us stumped because a) it’s hard to include someone who doesn’t want to be there and wants to leave in the middle of the stage, and b) we weren’t going to rewrite the second half of the season. “.
She completed her line, “We’re doing our best.”
McLendon-Covey and ABC declined to comment through representatives when they were contacted by The Post, which also sought Garlin’s statement.
Thanks for the great suggestion, Noel! This season has us stumped because a) it’s hard to include someone who doesn’t want to be there and wants to leave in the middle of the stage, and b) we weren’t going to rewrite the second half of the season. We are doing everything possible.
— Wendy McLendon-Covey (@wendimclendonco) March 15, 2022
Variety previously reported that the series would repurpose voice-over dialogue, unused footage and other footage of Garlin, and include a stunt double shown from behind in group scenes.
Garlin left the series last year following allegations of misconduct and “offensive” behavior on set.
“He is extremely verbally and emotionally abusive,” an anonymous Goldbergs employee told Deadline in December.
Jeff Garlin appears in a cast photo for The Goldbergs alongside Haley Orrantia, George Segal, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone and Troy Gentile. ABC via Getty Images
Earlier in an interview with Vanity Fair, he admitted that he had been under investigation for three years regarding the personnel, but also claimed that he was “not fired” from the show.
“It’s always the same. It’s about me and my stupidity on set. They don’t see it as appropriate. I do. That’s where we are. I didn’t get fired because of this. We just think differently,” he said in an interview with Vanity Fair.
The cast and crew were reportedly outraged by Garlin’s allegedly derogatory language, which Garlin himself did not seem to understand.
“I have to be honest with you. I don’t even know how to react to this because, as a comedian, if someone is offended by what I say, all I can say is sorry. Good? I’ve never physically visited anyone for any reason, so I find this terribly confusing and misleading,” he told the publication, adding that, in his opinion, “whoever feels this way has it for me. “.
Garlin also said that he is “a person who definitely cuddles” in response to allegations that the show’s staff were also even upset by his penchant for it.
“And it’s a quick hug, but I didn’t understand how anyone felt — so if you want to write this story, it’s a real story. They have a duty to say something, and I gladly respect anyone who says, “Please don’t hug me.” I don’t feel comfortable.”
In the previously mentioned Twitter thread that prompted McLendon-Covey’s response, she also responded to note from the commenter who wrote“If my co-workers tried to fire me because of a couple of my jokes, I wouldn’t be thrilled to be there either.”
McLendon-Covey, in a response that included a whopping 11 laughing emojis, wrote: “Correct. This is definitely what happened!”