Whenever Arrested Development’s fifth season arrives, it’ll have Jeffrey Tambor

Netflix has yet to announce a premiere date for the fifth season of Arrested Development, but it has confirmed this much: When the new episodes debut, Jeffrey Tambor will be a part of them.

The news arrives six months after Amazon launched an investigation into Tambor’s conduct while working on Transparent, which was prompted by accusations that he had sexually harassed his former assistant, Van Barnes. Tambor’s Transparent castmate, Trace Lysette, later came forward to say that she too had been harassed and assaulted by the actor while working on the show, telling The Hollywood Reporter that Tambor once cornered her, “leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrusts back and forth against my body.” (Like the character Tambor played on Transparent, Maura Pfefferman, both Barnes and Lysette are trans women.) Conflicting reports about whether or not Tambor had quit the show followed; in February of this year, Amazon and showrunner Jill Soloway announced their intentions to continue Transparent without him. “We are taking definitive action to ensure our workplace respects the safety and dignity of every individual, and are taking steps to heal as a family,” Soloway said at the time.

Tambor has called the accusations “false” and attributed the investigation to “the toxic politicized atmosphere that afflicted our set.” Responses from Arrested Development talent have been mixed. Citing additional support for Tambor from within the production, David Cross said he stands behind his co-star. Alia Shawkat, who has appeared on both Arrested Development and Transparent, said that while she was surprised by the allegations, “I support the voices of the victims though, whatever they said.”

Arrested Development is due to return to Netflix any day now; production on Transparent is set to resume in December.

 
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