The future of Amazon’s hit series Transparent has been up in the air ever since last November when the show’s lead actor, Jeffrey Tambor, was accused of sexual harassment by his co-star Trace Lysette. At first, Tambor hinted that he might leave the series, but not because the allegations were true. The actor claimed the atmosphere surrounding the series had grown too political and that he was no longer interested in being involved as a result.
The next month, Tambor rolled back his comments and insisted that nothing was official and his return was still possibility. While Transparent was renewed for a fifth season this January, neither Tambor nor Amazon had made an official statement about whether or not the actor would return on the show.
Now, Deadline reports that the decision has been made: Jeffrey Tambor has been fired from Transparent and the show will be moving on without him. The show’s creator, Jill Soloway, released a statement addressing the news.
“I have great respect and admiration for Van Barnes and Trace Lysette, whose courage in speaking out about their experience on Transparent is an example of the leadership this moment in our culture requires,” Soloway said. “We are taking definitive action to ensure our workplace respects the safety and dignity of every individual, and are taking steps to heal as a family.”
Tambor’s firing mirrors Netflix’s decision to fire Kevin Spacey from House of Cards after he was caught up in his own harassment scandal. When its lead actor was accused of sexual assault, Netflix scrambled to find a solution in order to salvage on of its most successful series.
The streaming company ended up firing its lead actor and rewriting the final season to be based on Robin Wright’s character Claire Underwood. With the firing of Tambor and moving on without its lead actor, it seems Amazon has decided to follow this House of Cards model provided by Netflix.
Amazon has not yet announced a premiere date for Transparent season 5.