“The Goldbergs” star Wendi McLendon-Covey is responding to criticism the show has received for the way it has dealt with the exit of Jeff Garlin, who left the comedy in December 2021 after allegations of misconduct on the show’s set surfaced.
On Monday, March 17, journalist Noel Murray posted a clip on Twitter of a recent episode that featured Garlin edited into a scene, along with dialogue that had been pre-recorded.
“They should either cancel The Goldbergs or kill off Jeff Garlin’s character because the workarounds they’ve been using this season ain’t working,” he captioned the post.
McLendon-Covey responded Tuesday.
“Thanks for the great suggestion Noel!” she wrote. “This season threw us for a loop because a.) it’s hard to incorporate someone who doesn’t want to be there and wants to leave mid-scene, and b.) we werent about to re-write the 2nd half of the season. We’re doing our best.”
TODAY has reached out to a representative of Garlin for a response to McClendon-Covey. ABC had no comment.
While Garlin, 59, may have left “The Goldbergs,” the show had planned to incorporate him into the show with dialogue recorded off-camera and used in previous episodes, unused takes and footage already shot, Variety reported in December.
In an interview with Vanity Fair last December, Garlin said his behavior had come under scrutiny on the show.
"There has been an HR investigation on me the past three years," he said. "HR has come to me three years in a row for my behavior on set."
“The Goldbergs” is currently in its ninth season. The show previously dealt with the loss of a cast member when George Segal died last year at the age of 87. He was honored with a tribute after his final episode aired that included a compilation of some of his memorable moments on the series.