Back in December, we reported that several employees working on Showtime’s SMILF had contacted an anonymous tip line run by Disney (which produces the show through ABC Signature Studios) to complain about numerous issues with how series creator and star Frankie Shaw was handling the production, including writers being separated by race and a “completely unprofessional” mishandling of sex scenes. One actor, Samara Weaving, had decided to leave the show over what she claimed was a breach of her contract, with her saying—among other things—that Shaw had taken such an issue with the no-nudity clause in her contract that she pulled Weaving into a trailer, took off her own top, and “demanded to know why Weaving had a problem being nude” when she did not.
This morning, Shaw appeared on NBC’s Today and briefly addressed the allegations, saying, “This is my first time doing this job and we moved fast, and I was learning on the go and I’m just really grateful that I can take these lessons of being a more aware and in-tune showrunner moving forward.” She doesn’t apologize for anything that happened or deny that any of it took place, she just chalks it up to inexperience and then quickly moves on so she can point out that half of the people on her crew are women. It comes across as a slightly cheap and easy response to what were some pretty serious allegations, with Shaw getting a chance to say that she’ll do better without really offering any public reflection on what she did that was bad.
That being said, Shaw did appear on Today alongside Rosie O’Donnell, who had previously expressed concerns about SMILF’s “chaotic and troubled set” as well as Shaw’s treatment of Weaving—though O’Donnell had said at the time that she hadn’t personally had any issues with Shaw. Also, Deadline points out that ABC Signature Studios’ investigation into Shaw’s behavior on set found “no wrongdoing,” so maybe this brief acknowledgment on Today is truly the end of this.