Jeffrey Tambor will return to ‘Arrested Development’ despite sexual harassment allegations

Jeffrey Tambor will return to the upcoming season of Arrested Development despite sexual harassment allegations. 

The 73-year-old actor was pulled from Amazon comedy series Transparent in the wake of sexual harassment allegations by co-star Trace Lysette and former assistant Van Barnes.

The retail giant confirmed Tambor had been pulled from the show and announced the show’s upcoming season had been delayed due to the actor’s exit. Despite the allegations, Tambor will reportedly still appear in the new season of Arrested Development.

The show, a comedy created by Mitchell Hurwitz, ran from 2003 to 2006 on Fox. A fourth season premiered on Netflix in 2013 and a fifth season was ordered soon after, though there is still no confirmed premiere date. 

A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the news to CNN on Friday (May 4) and Entertainment Weekly has reported that the new season finished production around the same time the allegations first surfaced. 

Fans had questioned whether Tambor, who plays patriarch George Bluth Sr. in the show, would appear in the upcoming season as Netflix had previously axed Kevin Spacey from its House Of Cards series.

However, Arrested Development cast members have stuck by the actor and continued to support him. 

Tambor played lead character Maura Pfefferman in the Amazon comedy show but was officially fired in February following an internal investigation. 

Former assistant Van Barnes accused the actor of behaving in a sexually inappropriate manner in a private social media post and co-star Trace Lysette claimed Tambor had sexually harassed her on multiple occasions and said she felt like she was being “targeted” by the actor.

Shortly after Amazon confirmed that Tambor that had been axed from the show, the actor issued a statement criticising retail giant’s decision, saying: “I am profoundly disappointed in Amazon’s handling of these false accusations against me. 

“I can only surmise that the investigation against me was deeply flawed and biased toward the toxic politicized atmosphere that afflicted our set. As I have consistently stated, I deeply regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone and I will continue to vehemently defend myself.”

He added: “I also deeply regret that this ground-breaking show, which changed so many lives, is now in jeopardy. That, to me, is the biggest heartbreak.”