‘The Goldbergs’ Star Jeff Garlin Was Almost Fired From ABC Sitcom

The Goldbergs star Jeff Garlin admitted he was almost fired from the ABC sitcom for his colorful language during filming. He said he even had a meeting with ABC human resources about his cursing and inappropriate language between takes. Garlin, who plays the family patriarch on the series, ultimately kept his job after agreeing he was being inappropriate on a set that usually has younger actors around.

“I was saying some really stupid silly things that I can’t believe that anyone would find offensive, but to each his own,” the Curb Your Enthusiasm star told the New York Post.

“Every time I stand up [on the set] I go, ‘Oh, my [female genitalia],” Garlin said. “Which is silly and stupid, I clearly don’t have [female genitalia]. And I said to them, ‘I understand if I worked at an insurance office and there’s a bunch of desks — that’s inappropriate. But in a comedic atmosphere it’s stupid. They said, ‘What if we fire you?’ and I said, ‘I’d love to have it announced Jeff Garlin got fired for saying [that].’”

At the end of the meeting, Garlin got to keep his job. He plays the cantankerous dad Murray on the show, whose demeanor is contrasted by his wife, Wendi McLendon-Covey’s Beverly. The series is set in the Philadelphia suburbs and is inspired by creator Adam F. Goldberg’s childhood in the 1980s.

When Garlin is not working on the show, the Chicago native performs stand-up. His special Our Man in Chicago is now available on Netflix. He also filmed the 10th season of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, which debuts on HBO on Jan. 10. He plays David’s manager, Jeff Greene.

“When we shoot a scene where it’s just Larry and me, it goes quickly, because we know how to work with each other so well,” Garlin said of working with David. “[Season 10] is my favorite season we’ve ever done. The premise is, to me, the funniest and smartest premise that we’ve done… It’s something that everybody will be able to associate with.”

The Goldbergs often references major pop culture moments from the 1980s. The Nov. 6 episode was dedicated to WrestleMania, with Murray taking his sons to the event. The real Hulk Hogan made an appearance on the series.

“This episode is a prime example of what Hulk Hogan has meant to four generations of people,” Hogan told Sports Illustrated about his appearance on the show. “There is something there that connects us. The only way I can explain it is by mentioning that I just bought a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner. It’s the same exact car I had in high school — Omaha orange, a vinyl top, bucket seats, a skinny little steering wheel, it’s a bad ass car. So I’m driving down the road with the window down, and the biggest smile came on my face when the memory of how I used to feel in that car returned. That’s Hulkmania. It’s a nostalgic, old-school feeling that continues to connect us.”

The Goldbergs Season 7 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC/Andrew Eccles