F. Murray Abraham apologizes over misconduct allegations

F. Murray Abraham has released a statement apologizing over some nonspecific offensive “jokes” that cost him his role on Mythic Quest. This comes after a Rolling Stone report alleged the White Lotus star had been let go from the Apple TV+ show over sexual misconduct.

“This is a sincere and deeply felt apology. Though never my intention to offend anyone, I told jokes, nothing more, that upset some of my colleagues and as a result lost a great job with wonderful people,” Abraham said in his statement via public relations firm Keith Sherman Associates. “I have grown in my understanding from this experience, and I hope they will forgive me.”

Who “they” are is unclear—perhaps Abraham refers to the general cast and crew of “wonderful people” at Mythic Quest, or perhaps he refers to the specific colleagues that were upset by his behavior. While Rolling Stone’s initial report did not reveal many details, an incident on set apparently prompted a warning for Abraham “to keep away from some of the show’s actresses.” A second incident, when brought to the attention of creator and star Rob McElhenney, led to Abraham’s firing.

While Abraham’s apology is, by its own description, heartfelt, many other actors have attempted to explain their misconduct as miscommunication of humor. Jeff Garlin, for instance, claimed that the misconduct investigation into his behavior was because of saying things on set that were “silly,” like, “Oh, my vagina.” (His example.) Bill Murray attributed a misconduct allegation to a “difference of opinion” with a young female colleague on the set of the now-canceled Being Mortal, adding, “I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way.”

Without knowing the specifics behind the incident(s) on set of Mythic Quest, it’s unclear just how wide the gulf is between what Abraham thought was funny and what a young female colleague might think. Hopefully, he is sincere about growing in understanding in the wake of this situation.