Wendy McLendon-Covey defends how the Goldbergs handled Jeff Garlin’s departure

“We are doing everything possible”.

When Jeff Garlin left the Goldbergs midway through the current season, creatives behind the scenes had to get creative with how the show would handle his absence.

After one TV journalist criticized the path they took this week, co-star Wendy McLendon-Covey jumped on his mentions and defended what they’ve done so far.

“They should either cancel The Goldbergs or kill off Jeff Garlin’s character because the workarounds they’ve been using this season aren’t working,” one reporter tweeted, along with a clip from the show’s recent wedding episode for character Hayley Orrantia. Erica Goldberg. .

In the footage, Garlin makes a brief appearance – looking very out of place – before being pushed into the background with his head severed or shot in the back for most of the ceremony. It ends with an awkward cutout of him smiling next to Sean Giambrone.

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
@vendimclendonko

“Thank you for the great offer,” McLendon-Covey tweeted. “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 added: “We are doing our best.”

When the actor’s departure was announced in December 2021, Variety reported that the producers would be using a combination of his stunt double for group shots, dialogue that had already been recorded off-screen from previous episodes, and unused or alternate takes. The site also reported that in the past, the actor’s head was placed on the body of his stunt double for promotional material – which appears to be the case in this shot.

Garlin and the producers reportedly came to a mutual agreement for him to leave the series last year following allegations of inappropriate behavior on set. So far, Garlin, ABC and Sony Television, which produces the series, have not commented on his departure.

Prior to his departure, he admitted in an interview with Vanity Fair that he had been the subject of Human Resources investigations for three consecutive years and appeared to be dismissive of the complaints that were made against him.

At the time of his departure, the show was reportedly filming episodes 15 and 16, and the season had 22 episodes. The wedding episode was the 15th episode of the show’s season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, plans were already underway to drop Garlin’s character from the show if he reappeared in season 10.

Season 9 currently airs on Wednesdays on ABC. He has not yet been officially selected for Season 10.