Jeffrey Tambor appeared on Gilbert Gottfried’s SiriusXM show on Thursday and took the opportunity to reflect on the experience of being fired from “Transparent” amid allegations of sexual harassment.
“There were instances where my interaction with these lovely people could have been mistaken way other than how I intended. I have profoundly apologized — and I apologize now if I made anyone, anyone feel vulnerable,” Tambor said. “And I’m sorry it ended the way it did.”
Tambor was fired from the Amazon series in 2018, following accusations that he harassed two trans women on the set, including costar Trace Lysette and his personal assistant Van Barnes. At the time, Tambor admitted to being “difficult” and “mean” on set, but denied the allegations of misconduct.
Jeffrey Tambor’s character was ultimately killed off the series, which wrapped its run with a feature-length musical finale last fall.
“I just want to say I never, ever, ever, ever intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable — ever,” Jeffrey Tambor told Gottfried and his co-host Frank Santopadre on Thursday. “It’s just not who I am.”
He described his castmates as “amazing,” saying they were like a family. “It was sort of raucous,” he said. “It was wonderful and irreverent and loving and personal. We told personal stories and I got to be Jeffrey and I got to play Maura and it was vital for the community, I’m so proud of it.”
“We loved each other,” he said. “We were irreverent. We were honest. We were vulnerable. We had stories that were very, very personal. We trusted one another. It was a set like no other.”