Original Wonder Years Star Fired From Its Reboot

It's not clear what inappropriate behavior was alleged against Fred Savage, show's EP, director
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 7, 2022 7:00 AM CDT
Fred Savage Fired From Wonder Years Reboot Over Misconduct
In this Jan. 15, 2016, file photo, actor Fred Savage attends the Fox All-Star Party at the Fox Winter TCA in Pasadena, Calif.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

If you've been enjoying the Wonder Years reboot, a revival of the hit ABC show that debuted in 1988, you likely know that the original's child star, Fred Savage, is one of the new series' executive producers, as well as an occasional director. Or was, as the 45-year-old has been fired from those roles after a probe into alleged misconduct. "Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched," 20th Television, which produces the show, said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. "Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment."

Writing for Deadline, Nellie Andreeva notes that "details about the nature of the allegations are unclear, but I hear they included verbal outbursts and inappropriate behavior," adding that the entertainment outlet has reached out to Savage's team for comment. A source tells THR that there were three separate allegations, and that Savage has been cooperating with the investigation. It's not the first time that Savage, who played Kevin Arnold on The Wonder Years during its first go-round, has found himself at the center of controversy.

In 1993, a costume designer sued Savage and Jason Hervey, who played his brother on the show, claiming the two sexually harassed her. That suit was eventually settled, but Alley Mills, who played the boys' mother, said in 2018 that that complaint was what ultimately did the show in, per People. Then, in 2018, another costume designer working on Fox's The Grinder sued Savage and the network, claiming he "hit her arm and yelled at her not to touch him while she was dusting his outfit on set, and that he engendered a hostile environment for women," per THR. That suit was also settled out of court. It's not yet clear if there will be a second season of this newest incarnation of The Wonder Years, which premiered in September. (More Fred Savage stories.)

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