F. Murray Abraham reportedly kicked off Mythic Quest over sexual misconduct
According to a Rolling Stone report, multiple concerns were raised about F. Murray Abraham on set of Mythic Quest before his exit
F. Murray Abraham’s Mythic Quest exit was due to allegations of sexual misconduct, according to a new report from Rolling Stone. The actor is coming off a Golden Globe-nominated performance in the second season of The White Lotus, but he departed the Apple TV+ series ahead of its third season. His character, C.W. Longbottom, was a main role in the cast, and was revealed to have had a terminal illness and decided to drive off a cliff Thelma & Louise style when the show returned in November 2022.
When it was originally announced that Abraham would not be returning, production company Lionsgate released a statement saying, “F. Murray Abraham will not be returning to season three of Mythic Quest. Beyond that, we do not comment on matters concerning personnel.” Now, Rolling Stone reveals that “at least two concerns” were raised about the 85-year-old actor.
After one of those “concerns” was brought forward, Abraham was “given a warning and told to keep away from some of the show’s actresses,” according to a Rolling Stone source. Abraham was apparently let go “After a second incident was brought to creator and star Rob McElhenney’s attention,” per the outlet.
While neither Abraham nor McElhenny nor any of the rest of the cast and crew have yet made a statement on the subject, Lionsgate released a statement to Rolling Stone which read, “We take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly. As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss our personnel actions.”
Abraham’s role had been reduced in the second season when the production had to work around COVID protocols because McElhenny “did not want to be known as the person who got F. Murray Abraham very, very ill,” he said on a TCA press tour in 2021 (via Variety). Abraham, who reportedly wanted to return, had to be convinced by McElhenny to shoot his scenes remotely; when he returned to filming in person, it was “with very small amounts of people on camera.”
“It’s a bummer to not have Murray in this season,” McElhenney later told Variety after Abraham’s departure. “But we recognize that C.W. is a beloved character and obviously a huge part of the show. So, we made sure that we have a really fitting tribute to him.”