Following sexual misconduct allegations made by two employees on Amazon’s Transparent, the show’s star, Jeffrey Tambor, has announced he will not return for its upcoming fifth season.
“Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life,” Tambor said in a statement provided to Deadline. “What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago.”
“I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue,” Tambor added. “Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.”
Tambor has been accused of sexual misconduct by two transgender women who work on Transparent, including actress Trace Lysette. Lyssette described several inappropriate interactions with Tambor, including one instance in which Tambor commented on her appearance by saying, “My God, Trace. I want to attack you sexually.” She alleges that he then approached her, “put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrust back and forth against my body. I felt his penis on my hip through his thin pajamas.”
Another woman, Tambor’s former assistant who also worked as a creative consultant on Transparent, accused him of sexual harassment in a private Facebook post.
In Transparent, Tambor played Maura Pfefferman, a transgender, divorced, Jewish parent of three. The role earned him two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical. Tambor also earned Emmy nominations for his previous roles on The Larry Sanders Show and Arrested Development.