‘Transparent’ Writers Considering A Fifth Season Without Jeffrey Tambor After Sexual Harassment Claim

Amazon’s investigation into a sexual harassment claim made against Jeffrey Tambor has caused the writers of “Transparent” to contemplate a fifth season without him, Deadline reports. Similar to how Netflix is currently figuring out how and if it can remove Kevin Spacey from “House of Cards” for the show’s sixth and final season, the “Transparent” writers room is reportedly considering a fifth season of the show without its Emmy-winning lead.

IndieWire confirmed on November 8 that Amazon is investigating a sexual harassment claim made against Tambor (as first reported by Deadline). The investigation reportedly centers around claims made by Tambor’s former assistant Van Barnes, who allegedly accused Tambor of harassment in a private Facebook post. The investigation is the second such probe at Amazon in recent weeks, following the resignation of Roy Price after similar allegations.

Tambor has been with “Transparent” from the very beginning, earning rave reviews for his performance as Maura Pfefferman. The actor has won countless accolades for his work on the series, including a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Tambor made the following statement to Deadline in reaction to the allegations: “I am aware that a former disgruntled assistant of mine has made a private post implying that I had acted in an improper manner toward her. I adamantly and vehemently reject and deny any and all implication and allegation that I have ever engaged in any improper behavior toward this person or any other person I have ever worked with.” He added that “I am appalled and distressed by this baseless allegation.”

The first four seasons of “Transparent” are all available to stream on Amazon.