What are the allegations against Fred Savage? 6 women claim he was fired from 'Wonder Years' over SEXUAL HARASSMENT
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: As many as six women have come forward claiming Fred Savage was fired from the 'Wonder Years' reboot after he sexually harassed female crew members. Savage, a married dad-of-three, is famously known for starring in the original 'Wonder Years' in 1988. However, he was let go from directing the sequel on May 6 after Disney cited "allegations of inappropriate conduct".
While no more details were revealed at the time, the women who made the allegations wanted to reveal more about the alleged wrongdoings of the star, 46. He has been accused of moving a young female crew member into his Atlanta home, and following another into a restroom and forcing her hands on his groin, The Hollywood Reporter said.
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Page Six reported that Savage was getting a lot of support from friends and family, including his wife Jennifer Lynn Stone, after the news of his firing broke. The article prompted the women to open up about their allegations. Savage has maintained his innocence. A source told the publication at the time that Savage "has really taken this issue very seriously and is doing a lot of self-reflection about how he could and should have handled different circumstances better."
"I and the other women feel that people need to know what the wrongdoing was," one of the women said, according to the Daily Mail. Denying many of the claims against him, Savage told THR, "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," he added. "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."
The six women spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing that otherwise their careers may be affected. The women said that sometimes Savage would be a supportive director, and on other occasions, a dark alter ego. They recalled how he would appear happy and charismatic on set at times, and then verbally assault "below-the-line employees who don't have power".
Some of the women said they were uneasy about Savage's relationship with a female crew member, who they claimed moved with him into the Cabbagetown neighborhood home in Atlanta, where the reboot was being shot. One of the women said that the crew member confided in her that Savage was buying her gifts and also discussing a future with her. Many women noticed that Savage was being "extremely controlling of her daily behaviors", despite their alleged romance. A woman claimed that Savage "proceeded to verbally harass me and belittle me" when she tried to shield the young woman he was living with.
Another woman, who became friends with Savage while on the set, said that he offered her expensive gifts and called her for dinners, which she turned down. The woman alleged that she was suddenly fired from the set last year, even though Savage had promised to help her succeed in her career. She said that in December 2021, she was invited to a group outing at a bar in Astoria, Georgia, where Savage entered the bathroom she was in and molested her. "I said, Please, don't do this," the woman recalled. "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," she added. "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."
After the incident, Savage continued to text her to meet him. He also sent her a voicemail, apologizing for what he did. "It's your old friend Fred," he allegedly said. "We worked together for a while and then we didn't and then I was a huge a**hole. A huge a**hole. 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 f***ed that up."
Savage found himself in the middle of another controversy in 2018, when customer Youngjoo Hwang sued him claiming he assaulted and harassed her on the set of TV show 'The Grinder'. In legal documents, Hwang said that Savage had a "volatile and aggressive temper as it related to the female crew" and "violently struck" on three occasions. Savage said the allegations were "completely without merit and absolutely untrue." He subsequently settled the suit.