Amazon Studios says "Transparent" star Jeffrey Tambor won't be on the series when it returns for its fifth season, prompting the Emmy winner to denounce what he called false accusations and the studio's handling of the matter.
The decision, confirmed Thursday by an Amazon spokeswoman, followed the conclusion of an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.
"I am profoundly disappointed in Amazon's handling of these false accusations against me," Tambor said in a statement. "I am even more disappointed in Jill Soloway's unfair characterization of me as someone who would ever cause harm to any of my fellow cast mates. In our four-year history of working together on this incredible show, these accusations have NEVER been revealed or discussed directly with me or anyone at Amazon."
Tambor said he is left to surmise that the investigation was flawed and biased by a "toxic politicized atmosphere that afflicted our set."
"As I have consistently stated, I deeply regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone and I will continue to vehemently defend myself," he said.
The claims against the actor were made late last year by Tambor's former assistant and an actress on "Transparent," which is about a transgender woman and her family.
Tambor denied the accusations at that time but said that in light of them he didn't see how he could return to the show.
Series creator Jill Soloway said in a statement that action was being taken to ensure the series' workplace "respects the safety and dignity of every individual."
Tambor, 73, won two Emmy Awards for his role as a retired professor who is transgender and transitions late in life, and the impact that has on her grown children.
Harvey Weinstein hit with new sex crime charge in New York
Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.
Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act.
The jailed ex-movie mogul has long maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
Prosecutors revealed last week that Weinstein had been indicted on additional sex crime charges that weren't part of the case that led to his now-overturned 2020 conviction. But the new indictment was sealed until his arraignment.
Prosecutors have said that the grand jury heard evidence of up to three alleged assaults — two in hotels in the Tribeca neighborhood and one at a lower Manhattan residential building. The purported incidents took place from the mid-2000s to 2016, prosecutors said.
But it's not clear whether any of those allegations underlie the new indictment.
While bracing for the new charges, Weinstein also is awaiting retrial after New York state's highest court this spring overturned his 2020 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges involving two women. The high court, called the Court of Appeals, ordered a new trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Nov. 12.
The Court of Appeals ruled that the then-trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations that were not part of the case. That judge's term expired in 2022, and he is no longer on the bench.
Prosecutors have said they'll seek to fold the new charges into the retrial, but Weinstein's lawyers say it should be a separate case.
Weinstein, who also was convicted in 2022 in a Los Angeles rape case, remains behind bars while awaiting his New York retrial.
Weinstein,... Read More