Fred Savage accused of inappropriate conduct

Savage was fired as executive producer and director of "The Wonder Years" reboot after complaints were made

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published May 6, 2022 9:52PM (EDT)

Fred Savage poses with the iconic NY Jets jacket he wore in the TV series "The Wonder Years" after donating it to the National Museum Of American History on December 2, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Larry French/Getty Images)
Fred Savage poses with the iconic NY Jets jacket he wore in the TV series "The Wonder Years" after donating it to the National Museum Of American History on December 2, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Larry French/Getty Images)

Fred Savage, best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the long-running television series, "The Wonder Years," has been fired as executive producer and director of "The Wonder Years" reboot on ABC after allegations of misconduct were made against him.

"Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of The Wonder Years," a spokesman for 20th Television said in a statement obtained from Deadline.

RELATED: Reality bites: How reckonings and the post-truth age ruined pop culture anniversary nostalgia

Exact details of the allegations made against Savage are not known at this time, but according to Deadline's report they center around "verbal outbursts and inappropriate behavior," and apparently this is not the first time such allegations have been made against the former child star.


Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.


Actress Alley Mills, who played the mother to Savage's Kevin Arnold in the original "The Wonder Years" series, told Yahoo in 2018 that a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Savage and co-star Jason Hervey, was what led to the cancellation of the series in 1993. Although those accusations came with enough validity to shut down the long-running show, which debuted on ABC in 1988, she referred to them as "completely ridiculous."

Savage was also the subject of allegations in 2018 when a costumer for the FOX series "The Grinder," which he starred in along with Rob Lowe, filed a lawsuit stating that in 2015 Savage "violently struck" her after she attempted to brush a bit of dandruff off of his suit, according to Deadline. The lawsuit furthered that Savage had a reputation on set for  "intimidating and tormenting" women.

Savage issued a statement after the 2018 allegations saying "none of the accusations being leveled at me are true," according to The Hollywood Reporter, but no statement has been made as of yet following this latest round.

Read more:


By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Nights and Weekends Editor covering daily news, politics and culture. Her work has been featured in Vulture, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, Vice, and elsewhere.

MORE FROM Kelly McClure


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Abc Aggregate Disney Fred Savage The Wonder Years Tv