Fred Savage has 'unresolved issues' and 'knows he can be an a**hole'
Fred Savage has ‘unresolved issues’ and ‘knows he can be an a**hole’ – but is ‘doing a lot of self-reflection’ after being axed from Wonder Years reboot for ‘inappropriate behavior’ on set
- The 45-year-old, who rose to stardom on the hit sitcom The Wonder Years in the late 80s, was axed from his executive producer role on the reboot last week
- According to the Hollywood Reporter, Savage was fired after an investigation into ‘three separate allegations’ of misconduct on set
- In the wake of the news, sources have come forward to claim that Savage – who shares three children with wife Jennifer Lynn Stone – is ‘quick to anger’
- Savage’s on-screen mother on The Wonder Years, Alley Mills, claimed in 2018 that the original series was canceled after he was accused of sexual misconduct
- In 2018, he was also sued by a costumer on TV show The Grinder for allegedly hitting ‘her arm’ and yelling ‘at her not to touch him’
- Now, another insider has claimed that the actor has confided in friends that he ‘could and should have handled different circumstances better’
- The source added to Page Six that Savage has ‘unresolved issues’ he ‘wants to deal with’ but he has ‘overwhelming support’ from friends on The Wonder Years
Fred Savage is ‘doing a lot of self-reflection’ and focusing on dealing with ‘unresolved issues’ in the wake of his firing from The Wonder Years reboot over allegations of ‘inappropriate behavior’ on set.
The 45-year-old former child star – who rose to fame while starring in the original series in the late 1980s and early 1990s – was sensationally axed from his role as an executive producer on the revival last week, after an investigation was launched into Savage’s ‘inappropriate behavior’ on the set.
Now, sources close to Savage have revealed that that father-of-three is using the incident as an opportunity to ‘reflect’ on his behavior and has conceded that he ‘can be an a**hole at times’ – while pointing to ‘unresolved issues’ that he needs to deal with.
‘Fred has really taken this issue very seriously and is doing a lot of self-reflection about how he could and should have handled different circumstances better,’ insiders told Page Six.
The unnamed source added: ‘There are some unresolved issues that Fred wants to deal with.’
Fred Savage is ‘doing a lot of self-reflection’ in the wake of his firing from The Wonder Years reboot over allegations of ‘inappropriate behavior’ on set a source has claimed
The 45-year-old, who shot to fame while starring in the original sitcom, which premiered in 1988 (right), had been serving as a director and executive producer on the reboot (left)
However, despite Savage being axed from The Wonder Years reboot, those close to the situation claim that he still has ‘overwhelming support’ from his friends on-set, and is also being ‘fully supported’ by his wife, Jennifer Lynn Stone, with whom he shares three children.
The claims about the actor’s ‘self-reflection’ come after other sources opened up to People about his ‘temper’, alleging that Savage is ‘quick to anger’ and that he is prone to ‘occasional outbursts’ on-set when he is directing.
An insider added to the outlet that Savage is partial to overshooting scenes, which puts crews under more pressure, leads to longer days and gives him ‘more opportunities to snap at people.’
‘He works his crews pretty hard by always doing more takes than necessary,’ the source alleged. ‘Some directors just overshoot. Sometimes they feel like they didn’t get the performance or want to try another angle or things like that.’
Neither Savage nor any spokespeople have commented on the nature of the ‘inappropriate behavior’ that led to his firing, which allegedly included both verbal outbursts and inappropriate behavior, Deadline reported.
However 20th Television released a statement last week to confirm that he had been axed from the show, saying: ‘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.’
Savage was a child star when he appeared in the original series, which ran on ABC from 1988-93 and followed a suburban white family in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
A new version of the show, which features Don Cheadle as the narrator, premiered last fall. The new series revolves around a Black family living in Montgomery, Alabama, in the late 1960s.
This is not the first time that Savage has found himself embroiled in controversy. In 2018, he was sued by costumer Youngjoo Hwang, who claimed that he had assaulted and harassed her on the set of TV show The Grinder.
The insider also claimed that Savage is being ‘fully supported’ by his wife Jennifer Lynn Stone, whom he wed in 2004 and with whom he shares three children
Hwang said in legal documents that Savage had a ‘volatile and aggressive temper as it related to the female crew’ and had ‘violently struck’ her on three occasions.
According to Page Six, Hwang said that ‘Savage was known to intimidate, bully and torment female crew members while they were doing their job duties by yelling things like “I’m not a dog, quit f***ing following me,” “Don’t ever even f***ing look at me anymore,” and “Get the f*** away from me.”‘
Savage, who subsequently settled the suit, had called the accusations ‘completely without merit and absolutely untrue,’ and was cleared by a probe at the time by 20th Century Television.
On Monday, Anahita Seda, a lawyer who represented Hwang in her lawsuit against Savage, spoke out about his firing, telling Page Six that she was ‘not the least bit surprised’ by it and that she felt it had been ‘a long time coming’.
‘When my client came to me in 2018 with her allegations against Mr. Savage, we discovered that there was at least one lawsuit that had been filed against him in the past and that Mr. Savage had allegedly engaged in this type of behavior not just towards my client but other women as well,’ she said.
The latest allegations against Savage come four years after his on-screen mother Alley Mills claimed the original Wonder Years’ cancellation ‘followed a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Savage (then 16) and Jason Hervey (then 20)’, which was settled out of court
In 2018, Savage was also accused of harassment and assault by a costumer on TV show The Grinder (seen); Youngjoo Hwang said in legal documents that he had a ‘volatile and aggressive temper as it related to the female crew’ and had ‘violently struck’ her on three occasions
Hwang (seen with her attorney in 2018) also said that ‘Savage was known to intimidate, bully and torment female crew members’
‘It is unfortunate that it took my client speaking out and now reportedly these others before action was finally taken.’
Four years ago, his former on-screen mother Alley Mills claimed the original Wonder Years’ cancellation followed a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Savage and Jason Hervey, which she said was settled out of court.
Monique Long, the woman who accused the then-16-year-old of sexual harassment, worked as a costumer on the set.
She accused both Savage and Hervey of ‘verbally and physically harassing her,’ according to Deadline.
In response to Mills’ dismal of her claims, she told the outlet via email: ‘My only response to Ms. Mills’s slander is that it proves exactly why women in the industry are forced to remain silent about sexual harassment.’
During her interview with Yahoo!, the show’s matriarch described the allegations against Savage as ‘completely ridiculous.’
She went on to call Savage ‘the least offensive, most wonderful, sweet human being that ever walked the face of the earth.’
‘So I just thought it was a big joke and it was going to blow over,’ she added.
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