While TV sitcoms often seem like the most fun places to work on a daily basis, this obviously isn’t always the case. And for several years now, viewers have known that the ABC series “The Goldbergs” was just such a place where behind-the-scenes tension influenced at least some of its main actors. The situation escalated at the end of 2021, when star Jeff Garlin left the show under unclear circumstances, despite the fact that his character continued to live differently until he was officially killed off at the beginning of the tenth season. Star Wendy McLendon-Covey has brought up an unpleasant topic in the past and recently shared some more honest thoughts about the situation, making it clear that this is not a funny topic for her.
In a conversation with Andy Cohen from Bravo on his Sirius radio show, McClendon-Covey talked about the long-running ABC sitcom, which is coming to an end this year, although she already has another comedy project planned. When Cohen asked her about Bev becoming a widow after Jeff’s somewhat mutual ousting of Garlin, she spoke in a measured tone, clearly not wanting to get too deep into things. According to her:
It was a long time ago. It was a long time ago. What if, finally, an h was added, it was something like, “Okay… finally someone is listening to us.” sitcom, you can’t keep asking your audience to mourn people.
Do not apply tone (or lack thereof) where it’s unreasonable, but Wendy McClendon-Covey’s response didn’t seem to express overt dissatisfaction with the concept of Garlin leaving, and any unpleasant feelings seemed to be more directed at the fact that it took so long for this outcome to happen. She also indicated that she and others had filed complaints that had not been heard, although she did not go into details about this.
In fact, when Cohen pushed a little further and asked if it was a sudden event or if there was a lengthy intro, the Goldberg star and Reno 911 favorite pulled back as politely as possible with a frank request:
If we couldn’t talk about it, it would be great. I am exhausted by this topic and the whole post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although she apologized for the question, Andy Cohen found that it was quite refreshing for her to defend the fifth part in this way, rather than dancing around the topic and offering empty answers. Obviously, she has the right to keep her thoughts and memories to herself until she decides to talk about it openly, if such a moment ever comes. No other colleagues have shared detailed details about Garlin’s departure and her behavior on set, so she’s not the only one who keeps quiet about it.
Before the big release, Jeff Garlin addressed the rumors that he would be fired, saying that this would never happen, but in vague terms he said that he knew that his actions on the set were annoying and contrary to the will of his superiors. He called it “stupidity” at the time, but the fact that Wendy McClendon-Covey felt shades of post-traumatic stress at the time makes it sound a little more serious. We hope that she and her Goldberg co-stars will be able to reach a point where it will no longer be difficult to dwell on this topic.
“The Goldbergs” airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET, and the next new episode is scheduled for April 5, partly in Pop-Pop’s former apartment. Episodes can be reviewed on demand and with a Hulu subscription.
