Transparent to end after one final season following Jeffrey Tambor sexual harassment scandal
Amazon’s transgender-themed show Transparent will end following one final season – after allegations were levelled at lead actor Jeffrey Tambor.
Tambor starred as ageing trans woman Maura Pfefferman in the hit show, but was fired from earlier this year after allegations he made sexual advances towards co-star Trace Lysette and sexually harassed ex-assistant Van Barnes.
Both accusers are transgender.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter this week, Soloway confirmed that the show would return for one final season. Tambor will have no involvement, having been officially axed from the show in February after an internal investigation of his conduct.
Soloway told the outlet she that she feels “a tiny bit like we are going to be OK” following months of controversy, adding: “Hopefully [the last season] sets the Pfeffermans up with some sort of beautiful reclaiming. I think we’re going to get there with some time.”
However, the Hollywood Reporter piece poured fresh controversy on the scandal – with revelations that both Jill Soloway and her sister Faith Soloway, neither of whom are transgender, had sent private messages to Tambor appearing to voice suspicion that the accusers were a part of a “coup” seeking to oust the actor from the part because he was a male actor playing a trans woman.
Faith Soloway, who is a writer and producer on the show, wrote to Tambor: “We are in a coup. You are fucking fantastic. You have changed the world. We have changed the world. We will get through this. Love, love, love, Faith.”
Meanwhile Jill Soloway told him: “They have been after Maura from the beginning.”
Asked about the messages, Faith Soloway said: “Things were happening so quickly, with people being accused and held accountable by the #MeToo movement.
“In the moment I felt that Jill and Jeffrey were under attack. I knew that some people disapproved of Jeffrey, a cisgender actor, playing Maura and I was upset that Jill, as the show’s creator, hadn’t had the opportunity to address the issue privately [before it went public].
“As the story broke, I also sent messages of support to Trace and Van, and after the allegations were presented, I never disbelieved them. I still, hope everyone can learn and heal from this.”
Jill Soloway added: “While much of the trans community immediately embraced the show, some vocally opposed the casting of a cis man, Jeffrey, in the lead role.
“This sentiment has persisted in parts of the community — coming up again on social media in the wake of these allegations. It was a text I wrote in frustration after pouring my heart into this show for years.
“I wanted to tell a story that brought power and visibility to trans people, and to my own family’s journey into understanding, acceptance, and pride.”
However, Tambor voiced upset that Soloway never publicly defended him.
He told the outlet: “I said to her, ‘Since you know the truth, would you make a public statement on my behalf?’ It’s my biggest disappointment that she hasn’t.”
Soloway responded: “I never told him I was going to accuse Van or Trace of being liars. He knew that nobody could do that.
“I was really working with him to help him understand that a simple apology would go a really long way. I was hoping to get him there.”
She added: “I was hoping, in those early days, before Trace’s initial statement came out, that it all could have been a big misinterpretation — that one person’s harassment is another person’s dirty joke.”
Of the allegations, Soloway said: “It’s not a simple case of did he do it or didn’t he do it. Nobody said he was a predator — they said he sexually harassed people.
“He made enemies, and I don’t think he realised he was making enemies. You have to be very, very careful if you’re a person in power and treat people very appropriately.”
It is believed the show’s final season will air in 2019.
Although he will have no part on Transparent, Tambor is set to return to screens this month in Netflix’s Arrested Development.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the Netflix show “wrapped production on its new batch of episodes in November, right around when the accusations surfaced.”
Netflix has scrapped several projects involving other embattled stars like Kevin Spacey, and ordered a complete re-write of House of Cards, so the decision to stick by Tambor has raised eyebrows among fans.
Some members of the Arrested Development cast have previously made public their support of Tambor despite the allegations.
David Cross said: “I can’t speak for everybody, but I know there are a number of us who stand behind him — from the limited amount we know, we stand behind Jeffrey — and I am one of them.”
Jason Bateman added: “I love Jeffrey. I always will. I can’t go further than that, but I will always love that man.”
