Fred Savage Faces Sexual Harassment, Assault Allegations From Wonder Years Reboot Colleagues, Including One Who Accused Him Of Forcing Himself On Her In Bar Bathroom

Fred Savage has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by six women.

Savage, 46, was fired from The Wonder Years reboot earlier this year after directing nine episodes following allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Savage was the star of the original coming-of-age series which ran from 1988 to 1993. 

Two of the six of anonymous accusers told The Hollywood Reporter about what it was like to work with Savage.

One said: “To their credit, I was contacted within hours. An investigation started immediately and he was barred from set.”

On May 6, news broke that Savage had been fired as an executive producer and director of the series. A rep for Disney's 20th Television cited "allegations of inappropriate conduct" but did not elaborate.

Reports later circulated that Savage was “doing a lot of self-reflecting” and lauded the “overwhelming support” he was receiving from people at the sitcom — which has been renewed for a second series — prompting the accusers to speak out.

One told THR: “I and the other women feel that people need to know what the wrongdoing was.”

Two accusers believed there are two different sides to the former child star. One said: “His eyes would go dead” as he shifted from one mood to another.

The accusers, who asked to have their identities kept secret by Disney, alleged verbal harassment and an alleged assault of an-ex crew member.

One described how the higher-ups would “all see his absolute perfect, best face” but saved his nastier side for “below-the-line employees who don’t have power.”

One of the alleged victims, who was no longer working on the show then, claimed that Savage followed her into the women’s restroom at a bar often frequented by the crew after work and “forcefully” kissed her and then “pulled” her hand to “his groin area”.

She said: “He was buying shots for everyone,” and then later when she went to the loo, Savage appeared.

She continued: “I started laughing, like, ‘What are you doing? This is a women’s bathroom,’” before saying he came towards her with ‘just like, dead eyes” and pushed her up against the wall.

“I said, ‘Please, don’t do this.’ I meant ruining the friendship. I was pleading, not from fear so much, but this was no going back.”

“He put his mouth on mine very forcefully. He went for the top of my pants. I brushed him away. Then he put his mouth on mine again, grabbed my hand and pulled it on his groin area. I was pulling back. He stopped very angrily. I shoulder-checked him so I could get out.”

She detailed how afterwards when Savage texted her — after he left the premises with a young female crewmember — to come to his home she “laughed it off” but was “honestly scared”.

She said: “To remain neutral I laughed it off like,’Ha ha, no, have a good night,’ because I was honestly scared of him for the first time.”

Following this, she claimed that Savage kept texting and calling her, eventually stopping until he left a voicemail message.

The message, which she shared with THR, went: “It’s your old friend Fred. We worked together for a while, and then we didn’t, and then I was a huge asshole. A huge asshole. And I’m really sorry. And I’ve kind of owed you an apology for a minute here and so, uh, the truth is I really like you and I really want to be friends, and I’m so sorry that I f**** that up."

The accusers asserted they mainly complained about Savage's conduct towards the young crew member’s safety but also wanted to challenge his claimed “support” for women.

They told the paper: “These men in charge know what the public is looking for and they know what words to use. We all felt supported by Fred. We truly thought he supported women. He told us he supported women. But this kind of support isn’t real.”

Responding to the allegations, Savage told THR: “Since I was six years old, I have worked on hundreds of sets with thousands of people, and have always strived to contribute to an inclusive, safe and supportive work environment. It is devastating to learn that there are co-workers who feel I have fallen short of these goals.

"While there are some incidents being reported that absolutely did not and could not have happened, any one person who feels hurt or offended by my actions is one person too many. I will work to address and change any behavior that has negatively affected anyone, as nothing in this world is more important to me than being a supportive co-worker, friend, husband, father and person.”

Read the full story on The Hollywood Reporter.—  BANG SHOWBIZ

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos