Jeffrey Tambor speaks out on his departure from the show Transparent over sexual misconduct claims

He lost his job on the hit series Transparent in the wake of allegations made by two transgender women he worked with on the show.

And on Wednesday, Jeffrey Tambor addressed his departure from the Amazon series on Gilbert Gottfriend’s Colossal Show on SiriusXM.

The actor, 75, said that he in ‘no way ever, ever intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable.’

The actor said: ‘So regarding how I left I just want to make it really, really clear for your listeners out there that I’m not this guy. I in no way ever, ever intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable. This cast is amazing. It was very much like this room’ during the show, which airs weekly on comedy Greats on SiriusXM Channel 94.

He continued: ‘It was wonderful and irreverent and loving and person and, you know, we told personal stories and, I got to be Jeffrey and I got to play Maura and it was vital for the [LGBTQ} community, I’m so proud of it.’

Jeffrey said on the show, hosted by Gilbert Gottfried and Frank Santopadre: ‘Regarding how I left the show, I just want to say, I never, ever, ever, ever intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable ever. It’s just not who I am. I mean, I have – my wife is here and, you know, I have character defects, and she has the list of that where you’re going to distribute. But, but this, we loved each other. We were irreverent. We were honest. We were vulnerable.’

Adding: ‘We had stories that were very, very personal. We trusted one another. It was a set like, way other, than how I intended. And I have a profoundly, apologized and I apologize.’

The star concluded with: ‘Oh, now, if I made anyone, anyone feel vulnerable and I’m sorry. I’m sorry it ended the way it did, but I just wanted to say, you know, I have to say it, I’m so proud of playing Maura and part of the LGBT community and getting that important message, out and it’s a highlight of my life and I just can’t let the day go short and I can’t leave this studio without saying something. And I love you guys. Thank you.’ 

The allegations against Jeffrey surfaced in November 2017 when two transgender women he worked with on the Amazon series Transparent accused him of sexual harassment.

He lost his job as transgender matriarch Maura Pfefferman on the show in the wake of the allegations made by his ex-personal assistant Van Barnes and his Transparent co-star Trace Lysette. 

In 2018, he said ‘lines got blurred’ when it came Barnes, who accused him of patting her behind and saying she wasn’t ‘taking care of him sexually.’

‘I dispute her account,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter. ‘I did raise my voice at times, I was moody at times. Sometimes I didn’t talk at all. There were times when I was tactless. But as for the other stuff, absolutely not.’

He also denied rubbing his genitals against Lysette and allegedly telling her: ‘My God, Trace, I want to attack you sexually.’

Despite the allegations, Jeffrey kept his job on Arrested Development where he plays George Bluth, the patriarch of the family on the comedy show. 

Although the Emmy winner has denied the allegations on numerous occasions, he has apologized in 2017 for ‘any action that was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone,’ according to IndieWire.