Jeff Garlin Was Nearly Fired from 'The Goldbergs' Almost 2 Years before His Departure

Jeff Garlin has played the sour, somewhat asocial patriarch on the period sitcom "The Goldbergs" since the show's inception in 2013. But his tenure has not been without challenges, as he almost got fired in 2019.

Jeff Garlin plays Murray Christian Goldberg on the show. He runs Pops's furniture business, loves sports, and despite his skewed ways of raising his children, it is evident that he loves them and wants them to learn how to fend for themselves.

Unfortunately, the show is currently experiencing a significant cast shakeup and will have to proceed without the series alum, Garlin. The "Sleepover" actor got fired after the showrunners investigated his alleged on-set behavior.

According to recent reports, the actor spoke publicly about his situation and shared some less-than-flattering remarks about the show. He criticized the show complaining that he had to work on a set where he had to be constantly careful of his actions.

The allegations reports say the actor had been under investigation, following his alleged verbal and physical misconduct that often left his colleagues uncomfortable. He admitted that HR had been investigating him for three years.

However, as of December 2021, he said that he and HR were trying to reach a consensus. Garlin also stated he would "not be doing any of my silly stuff or anything, out of respect."

He confirmed, at the time, that he was not exiting the show and would continue filming since he was still under contract with Sony. He eventually left the show on what would have been his last day of shooting.

Reports say the show used a body double to complete Garlin's final episode. And while his exit has raised questions, it was not the first time his colleagues complained about his conduct.

In 2019, he almost got fired from the show after people he worked with began complaining about how demeaned they felt by his choice of language. Others complained that he would hug and touch them, leaving them feeling disrespected.

Garlin defended himself, saying that neither of his colleagues ever told him that his hugging bothered them. Still, he admits that HR never said a word to him on the issue for some reason. He said:

"If I hug someone, and they feel uncomfortable from it, they have every right to even go to HR. But HR has never said a word to me about hugs. Just so we're clear on that."

He also confessed that he has always behaved the same way, so he did not understand the fuss. For instance, when working on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" with Larry David, he says no one complained about his conduct.

The comedian said that even when he worked on his Netflix movie "Handsome," he never experienced any problems, which leads him to believe that whoever was complaining had it out for him.

Following his departure, which the network announced on December 15, reports say that a stand-in will take on the rest of Garlin's workload before they can figure out a more permanent solution.