Fred Savage Fired as 'The Wonder Years' Director and EP After Misconduct Investigation

By Andrew Roberts

Fred Savage has been fired from his role as executive producer and director for The Wonder Years after the conclusion of an investigation into "inappropriate conduct." After looking into multiple complaints about the child actor and successful TV director, Disney made the decision.

The Wonder Years has not been renewed for a second season at publication but still has a chance for a return. The reboot takes the concept of the original 1988 series starring Savage and changes the role to follow a black family in Montgomery, Alabama, during the 1960s.

"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," 20th Century television told Deadline in a statement. The outlet adds that while the nature of the allegations against Savage haven't been made public, reports indicated "verbal outbursts" and "inappropriate behavior" as the recurring causes.

Savage has been accused of misconduct in the past. In 2018, Alley Mills shared claims that the original The Wonder Years was canceled due to a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against co-stars Savage and Jason Hervey. Savage was 16 at the time, while Hervey was 20, and the case was eventually settled out of court. Mills played the mother of the two boys in the series.

2018 also shined a light on another allegation, this time from the set of The Grinder. A crew member filed a lawsuit accusing Savage of "attacking and harassing" her during production on the series in 2015. That lawsuit was also eventually settled out of court, though Savage denied the accusations and an investigation by 20th Century Television found no evidence.

The accusations against Savage are an unforeseen outcome for a child actor that grew up in front of audiences. As Deadline notes, Savage was popular for his role in The Wonder Years, his appearance in The Princess Bride, and his starring roles in films like Little Monsters and The Wizard. The Wonder Years also brought Savage acclaim, netting him his first Emmy nomination for a lead actor at age 13. He would earn two and still stands as the youngest actor ever nominated. Savage is known more for his work behind the camera these days, directing eight episodes of The Wonder Years season 1 and having a hand in several other shows on television like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

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