Fuller House creator and showrunner Jeff Franklin is speaking out for the first time after being ousted from the sitcom revival over allegations of misconduct.
Franklin, who created both ABC‘s Full House and Netflix‘s Fuller House sequel series, was dismissed after a number of production members came forward and complained that the executive producer had been making sexual remarks about his own personal affairs in the writers’ room. He was also said to have brought women he was dating to the set, occasionally offering some of them small on-camera roles.
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“I’m heartbroken to be leaving Fuller House,” Franklin wrote Wednesday on Instagram. “Creating and running Full House and Fuller House has been the greatest joy. I wish the cast, my second family for over 30 years, continued success. I’m so proud of all we accomplished together, and beyond grateful to our loyal fans. Adios Tanneritos!”
Fuller House was previously renewed for a fourth season in January. A new showrunner has not yet been named.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. TV released a statement earlier this week saying, “We are not renewing Jeff Franklin’s production deal and he will no longer be working on Fuller House.”
Variety‘s sources did note that Franklin has not been accused of sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct with staff. Staff also reportedly complained about Franklin bringing women that he was dating to the set and allowing them to have small parts in the show.
Warner Bros. TV executives were reportedly notified of Franklin’s exploits more than two years ago and were told that he “was a walking lawsuit waiting to happen.” It’s unclear if the studio investigated the claims against Franklin at that time, but it is reported that they did not initially investigate more recent claims until recently.
Franklin created Full House, the predecessor to Fuller House, in the late ’80s. The classic sitcom celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2017.
In September 2017, Franklin wrote a column for Variety, recounting the story of how the show came to be, as well as what it was like to work on. Interestingly, he revealed something surprising in the article.
“I left Full House after five seasons and 120 episodes, under unfortunate circumstances I am legally prohibited from discussing,” Franklin wrote in the editorial.
“When I left, Full House was in the Top 3, often hitting no. 1. The following season, I believe the show quickly lost its way. Within three short years, the show lost one-third of its formerly loyal audience, the ratings plummeted, the show dropped into the 30’s and was abruptly cancelled,” Franklin added.
Lastly, Franklin lamented that “there wasn’t even a series finale” for the show, and added, “The last episode of Full House, which was built on relatable storytelling, was about an eight-year-old girl who has amnesia. How many eight-year-olds suffer from amnesia? “Full House” should have run for many, many more seasons.”
