F. Murray Abraham Issues Statement About Allegations & Departure From Apple TV+’s ‘Mythic Quest’: “I Told Jokes, Nothing More…I Hope They Will Forgive Me” – Update

Alexandra Del Rosario and Tom Tapp
·2 min read
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UPDATED with statement: After a story this week from Deadline’s sister publication Rolling Stone detailed allegations against Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham, the actor has issued a statement on the matter, the text of which Deadline has confirmed with his representative.

“This is a sincere and deeply felt apology,” reads Abraham’s statement.

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It goes on to reference Lionsgate’s decision last year not to bring him back for Season 3 of Mythic Quest. “Though never my intention to offend anyone, I told jokes, nothing more, that upset some of my colleagues and as a result lost a great job with wonderful people.”

It continues, “I have grown in my understanding from this experience, and I hope they will forgive me.”

PREVIOUSLY on April 19: The Mythic Quest team will be one key member short, with F. Murray Abraham leaving the series before it returns for Season 3.

“F. Murray Abraham will not be returning to Season 3 of Mythic Quest,” said producer Lionsgate in a statement to Deadline. “Beyond that we do not comment on matters concerning personnel.”

Abraham appeared as C.W. Longbottom, a seasoned writer who works at the game studio at the center of the series. He joined the cast in February 2019.

The Oscar-winning actor has since landed a role in the second installment of HBO’s The White Lotus and will appear in Netflix’s upcoming anthology series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

News of the actor’s departure comes months after Apple TV+ revealed the series will return for a third and fourth season.

Mythic Quest, created by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz, centers on Ian Grimm (McElhenney), the owner and creative director of a successful video game studio who struggles to keep his hit game on top in concert with the dysfunctional family that makes up his staff. Season 2 of the comedy, which wrapped in June, saw Ian and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) push the boundaries of their work relationship and friendship as the two creative minds and game developers of the wildly popular MMORPG Raven’s Banquet search for the next best thing. The finale, titled “TBD,” concluded with both Ian and Poppy, along with some of their co-workers, leaving the studio for new ventures.

The series is exec produced by McElhenney and Day through their company RCG; Hornsby and Ganz; Michael Rotenberg and Nicholas Frankel of 3 Arts Entertainment; as well as Ubisoft Film and Television’s Jason Altman, Danielle Kreinik and Gérard Guillemot. The show is produced for Apple TV+ by Lionsgate, 3 Arts and Ubisoft.

Vanity Fair broke the news of Abraham’s exit today.

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