The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Tambor’s ex-assistant details abuse claims
The former assistant of Jeffrey Tambor —whose abuse allegations prompted the Amazon investigation that led to his “Transparent” firing — spoke out for the first time about the “extremely volatile” work environment fostered by the actor.
Van Barnes, who is transgender, rejected Tambor’s claim that Amazon’s investigation was “deeply flawed,” and detailed his alleged misconduct in a new statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Barnes, 42, told the outlet that as Tambor’s assistant, she was subjected to sexual and physical harassment, verbal abuse and abuse of power by the actor.
She added that the Emmy-winning star frequently threw temper tantrums and tossed “demeaning insults” her way, and patted her on the butt amid suggestions of an affair. Barnes said she tried to report Tambor’s behavior to his personal management team but nothing ever came of it, so she quit in January 2017.
Amazon’s investigation into Tambor’s behavior began in November after allegations from Barnes and actress Trace Lysette, who said he got “physical” with her on set.
He was officially fired earlier this month at the end of the investigation, and said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter he was “profoundly disappointed” in the way Amazon handled the allegations.
Tambor, 73, previously dismissed Barnes’s allegations as “baseless.”
“These accusations have NEVER been revealed or discussed directly with me or anyone at Amazon,” Tambor said in his statement in response to his dismissal from “Transparent.” ”Therefore, I can only surmise that the investigation against me was deeply flawed and biased toward the toxic politicized atmosphere that afflicted our set.”
Markle wants to focus on women’s empowerment
LONDON — Meghan Markle said Wednesday that she hopes to “hit the ground running” as a member of the British royal family and use her position to highlight the empowerment of women.
Markle, who is due to marry Prince Harry in May, attended an event in London alongside Harry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.
The first joint engagement by the two couples celebrated the work of the Royal Foundation, which supports charities including the Heads Together mentalhealth campaign and the Invictus Games for injured troops.
Markle said during a question-andanswer session that she was still new to her role but “it’s very important to want to hit the ground running.” The American actress, 36, said “there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people really helping to support them.”
Harry, 33, said he and Markle were “pretty tied up with planning a wedding at the moment,” but looked forward to working with William and Kate on charitable projects.