Jeffrey Tambor has said he is leaving Amazon’s Transparent, the series he stars in, following claims of sexual harassment on set. “Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life,†Tambor told 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.â€
As he has done before, Tambor denied the claims against him. “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 said. “Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.â€
Amazon first opened an investigation into Tambor after Van Barnes, a transgender actress and Tambor’s former assistant, claimed he acted inappropriately toward her. One week later, Transparent actress Trace Lysette claimed that Tambor had made sexual advances at her as well. Following her statement, both GLAAD and Our Lady J, a transgender writer on the series, called for Tambor to leave the series. Speaking at Vulture Festival on Saturday night, Transparent creator Jill Soloway said she would not comment on the investigation to “protect the process.â€