‘The Goldbergs’ Star Wendi McLendon-Covey Addresses Backlash To Bizarre Jeff Garlin Scenes: “We’re Doing Our Best”

The Goldbergs star Wendi McLendon-Covey is opening up for the first time on social media about former costar Jeff Garlin‘s abrupt exit. Garlin, who played Murray Goldberg on ABC‘s long-running comedy series, left last December after facing multiple misconduct allegations and HR investigations. He did not complete his work on the remainder of the show’s ninth season.
Since then, The Goldbergs has sparked backlash for its methods of getting around Garlin’s departure. The show has used CGI to insert pre-recorded footage of the actor into episodes, and even edited Garlin’s face onto a body double. However, one criticism of the show posted by film critic Noel Murray caught McLendon-Covey’s attention
“They should either cancel The Goldbergs or kill off Jeff Garlin’s character because the workarounds they’ve been using this season aren’t working,” Murray tweeted on Monday, alongside a clip in which Garlin’s face appears to be superimposed on another body.

“Thanks for the great suggestion Noel!” McLendon-Covey replied on Tuesday. “This season threw us for a loop because a.) it’s hard to incorporate someone who doesn’t want to be there and wants to live mid-scene, and b.) we weren’t about to rewrite the 2nd half of the season. We’re doing our best.”

Three ex-Goldbergs employees previously told Vanity Fair that the actor allegedly “engaged in a pattern of verbal and physical conduct on set that made people uncomfortable.” Sources reported that Garlin often hugged or touched people regardless of whether they were comfortable with being touched by him.
According to Deadline, numerous current and former employees reached out about Garlin’s on set behavior after the VF piece was published, calling him “extremely verbally and emotionally abusive.” Sources also pointed to an instance in which he reportedly screamed at a stand-in for getting in his way after an on-set rehearsal.

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