David Cross says the "Arrested Development" cast supports Jeffrey Tambor amid allegations, and [sad Charlie Brown music]
Following the conclusion of an internal investigation at Amazon Studios earlier this month, Jeffrey Tambor was formally removed from the upcoming fifth season of Transparent. The actor, who won numerous awards portraying Maura Pfefferman on the series, was fired due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
In the wake of Tambor’s firing from the Amazon series, his co-stars from his other streaming series, Arrested Development, are apparently standing behind him. David Cross, who plays Tambor’s TV son-in-law on the Netflix series, recently spoke about the allegations against his cast mate on amNew York. Referring to the ensemble cast of Arrested Development — which includes Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Jessica Walters, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, Michael Cera, and Alia Shawkat — Cross said, “I can’t speak for everybody, but I know there are a number of us who stand behind him — from the limited amount we know, we stand behind Jeffrey — and I am one of them.”
Following the announcement of his firing from Transparent, Tambor released a statement expressing his “disappointment” in his removal from the series. Criticizing series creator Jill Soloway, Tambor, once again, denied the allegations and said that he felt the investigation was “deeply flawed” and “biased” against him, adding that he was never made aware of any allegations against him while the show was in production.
Cross expressed a similar sentiment regarding the investigation to amNew York. Calling the situation “curious,” Cross said, “I think it’s very curious that Amazon didn’t make public the results of their internal investigation. I’m not sure why they would do that. I just know the whole thing is rather curious to me.”
Five years after a very public resurrection for a fourth season of the cult series on Netflix, Arrested Development, which initially ran for three seasons on Fox from 2003 to 2006, is returning for a fifth season set to air sometime this year. On whether Tambor, who plays George Sr. and Oscar Bluth, could potentially be removed from the upcoming season, which has already completed filming, Cross added, “I certainly hope not. I doubt it, but I don’t know. I’m not in those offices or making those decisions.”
We’re definitely a bit disappointed in Cross’ statement, considering Cross admitted to having “limited” information regarding the matter. His statement of support, which is apparently on behalf of the entire Arrested Development cast — although his wording is somewhat contradictory there — is also puzzling because Amazon Studios clearly appears to have found just cause to terminate Tambor from the series.
Season 5 of Transparent is reportedly being reworked without Tambor’s lead character and will continue to star Judith Light, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, and Gaby Hoffmann.
