The Goldbergs' Wendi McLendon-Covey Sheds Light on Jeff Garlin Exit: He 'Doesn't Want to Be There'
Paul Dailly
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The Goldbergs found itself in the media for all the wrong reasons this season.
Jeff Garlin exited the hit ABC comedy series in 2021, following a human resources investigation triggered by complaints about his on-set behavior.
Garlin chatted to Vanity Fair about his exit.
“It’s always the same thing,” Garlin said at the time.
“It’s about me and my silliness on set. They don’t think it’s appropriate."
"I do. That’s where we’re at. I’ve not been fired because of it. We just think differently.”
In the wake of the abrupt exit, the series has yet to write Garlin's character out.
Instead, the show is using a body double for the actor to shoot incomplete scenes, which has caught the ire of fans on social media.
“They should either cancel The Goldbergs or kill off Jeff Garlin’s character because the workarounds they’ve been using this season ain’t working,” journalist Noel Murray tweeted earlier this week.
Garlin's co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey responded to the tweet.
“Thanks for the great suggestion Noel!” McLendon-Covey wrote on Tuesday in response.
“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 leave mid-scene, and b.) we werent about to re-write the 2nd half of the season."
"We’re doing our best.”
The comedy has been proceeding without Jeff of late, but it's unclear whether the show will address the exit in the near future.
It could be the case that when the episodes written prior to his exit are filmed, the show could find a way to write the long-serving star out.
It would be a tough sell for fans if the character disappeared without any explanation.
The episode order was recently upped to 22, four more than original planned, so it's possible an exit storyline has been crafted.
There have been plenty of rumors that the show will end this season, but it's hard to imagine ABC letting it go without a pre-planned conclusion.
What are your thoughts on the way the show has handled the exit?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
