Disney announced this week that The Wonder Years executive producer and director, Fred Savage (The Princess Bride, The Grinder), had been terminated from the series after an investigation of alleged misconduct, via Deadline. While details of the accusations are unclear, sources relay to Deadline that Savage was accused of alleged verbal outbursts and alleged inappropriate behavior.
A spokesperson for 20th Television, who produces the series under Disney, released a statement to Deadline: “Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of The Wonder Years.”
Most of America knows Savage as the child actor who wowed audiences in the 1980s original Wonder Years series as Kevin Arnold, a young pre-teen growing up in 1960s midwest America. According to Deadline, the role earned Savage two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy, the youngest actor to ever receive the nomination. He was also well known for playing the grandson in the comedic fantasy classic, The Princess Bride.
In contrast to his on-screen persona, Savage has a history of alleged misconduct. Deadline reports that in 2018, two separate incidents placed Savage at the center of investigations. A crew member from Fox’s 2015 series, The Grinder, in which Savage starred, accused him of allegedly attacking and allegedly harassing her on set. An investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing on Savage’s part, however, a lawsuit was settled out of court. The show was eventually canceled.
The same year, Savage’s The Wonder Years co-star, Alley Mills (Appetite for Love, A Golden Christmas), alleged the original show was canceled after Savage and his on-screen brother, actor Jason Hervey (100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd, You, Me, and The Christmas Trees), had been accused of alleged sexual harassment. Mills stated it was also settled out of court.
Savage is the third high-profile misconduct-related termination within the last week. Netflix recently removed actor Frank Langella (The Americans, The Ninth Gate) from its limited series, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Showtime cut ties with American Gigalo showrunner, David Hollander (Ray Donovan: The Movie, The Guardian).