DISGRACED actor Jeffrey Tambor has resurfaced in public nearly eight years after his Hollywood career was marred by allegations of sexual misconduct.
A frail Tambor was pictured during a recent shopping trip at a Trader Joe’s in Raleigh, North Carolina, on July 10, exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun showed.
Tambor, who shot to fame in the 1990s while starring on The Larry Sanders Show, was seen exiting a Trader Joe’s, pushing a shopping cart with a single grocery bag.
The former Arrested Development actor, 81, appeared to have a disgruntled expression on his face as he wore a blue-colored padded shirt, khaki shorts, black sneakers, and a baseball cap.
Tambor has been out of the spotlight since November 2017 when he was at the center of sexual misconduct allegations brought forth by a former assistant and a co-star on the Amazon Studio series Transparent.
At the time, Tambor had been accused of harassing and groping his former assistant and actress, Van Barnes, and made inappropriate sexual advances against his then-co-star Trace Lysette – both transgender actresses.
The scandal led to Tambor’s firing from the Amazon Studios show despite the Emmy-winning actor denying the accusations.
“I am profoundly disappointed in Amazon’s handling of these false accusations against me,” Tambor, who starred as Maura Pfefferman, a transgender character, for four seasons on the series, said in a statement to NPR at the time.
“I am even more disappointed in Jill Soloway’s unfair characterization of me as someone who would ever cause harm to any of my fellow cast mates,” he added, referring to the show’s creator and co-writer.
“In our four-year history of working together on this incredible show, these accusations have NEVER been revealed or discussed directly with me or anyone at Amazon.
“Therefore, I can only surmise that the investigation against me was deeply flawed and biased toward the toxic politicized atmosphere that afflicted our set.”
At the time, Soloway praised Barnes and Lysette for their courage in “speaking out about their experience on Transparent.”
“We are grateful to the many trans people who have supported our vision for Transparent since its inception and remain heartbroken about the pain and mistrust their experience has generated in our community,” Soloway said.
“We are taking definitive action to ensure our workplace respects the safety and dignity of every individual, and are taking steps to heal as a family.”
Tambor was never charged with any crimes in regards to the allegations made by Barnes and Lysette.
When the accusations first surfaced, Tambor apologized for any inadvertent misbehavior, but denied any intentional harassment or sex abuse.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May 2018, Tambor admitted that his “ill-temper” did not make him the “easiest person to work with” on set.
“I know I haven’t always been the easiest person to work with. I can be volatile and ill-tempered, and too often I express my opinions harshly and without tact,” he added.
“But I have never been a predator – ever.”
SHOCKING ACCUSATIONS
The allegations against Tambor came at the height of the MeToo Movement when sexual harassment and assault accusations were made against powerful bigwigs such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Bill Cosby, among others.
At the time, Lysette, the Transparent actor, accused Tambor of making unsolicited advances that included kisses on her forehead.
Lysette also alleged that while shooting a scene for the Amazon show, Tambor told her, “My God, Trace, I want to attack you sexually.”
The actress claimed that minutes later, Tambor moved over next to her in his pajamas and “put his feet on top of hers,” and started “little thrusts on her hip.”
“They were discreet and insidious and creepy. I felt his genitals on me. And I pushed him off,” Lysette alleged.
Months after Barnes, Tambor’s former assistant, and Lysette came forward with their allegations, actress Jessica Walter claimed her former Arrested Development co-star verbally harassed her.
However, Walter admitted that Tambor never sexually harassed or assaulted her.
“[Tambor] never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever,” the actress told The New York Times in May 2018.
“Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize.”
In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Tambor acknowledged that he once had a “blowup” with Walter, confessing that he “profusely apologized” to his co-star after.
“I drove myself and my castmates crazy,” he said.
“Lines got blurred. I was difficult. I was mean.”
