Jeffrey Tambor's days on Transparent may be numbered. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon is debating whether or not to cancel the show in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations that have been made against the actor.
The first complaint came from Tambor's former assistant, Van Barnes, in early November. Barnes reportedly wrote about Tambor's harassment in a private Facebook post, but Tambor immediately rejected the claims. Actress Trace Lysette, who portrays Shea on Transparent, then came forward with an account of another incident of harassment from Tambor. Lysette recalls a specific day in which Tambor "got physical" while the two filmed together in the second season. "He came in close, put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrusts back and forth against my body. I felt his penis on my hip through his thin pajamas," she wrote in a harrowing account of the moment on her official Instagram.
In the wake of the allegations, Amazon has launched an investigation in an attempt to substantiate the claims. In spite of everything, some of the biggest forces behind Transparent are begging Amazon not to cancel the show. Even though the writers have begun work on the show's fifth season, creator Jill Soloway said she is open to writing off Tambor's character, Maura Pfefferman, possibly with a death. Even Lysette, who is transgender, urged Amazon in the same Instagram post to let the show and its "trans-affirmative action" mission continue. "Remove the problem and let the show go on," she wrote. Our Lady J, one of the writers on the show, reposted Lysette's statement and said, "We cannot let trans content be taken down by a single cis man."
Amazon has yet to comment on the fate of Transparent and whether or not it is willing to let production continue with Tambor off the show.