“The Goldbergs” star Wendi McLendon-Covey slammed former TV husband Jeff Garlin’s claim that he was “mean” on the set of the show because of his bipolar disorder.
During a new interview with the Daily Beast’s “Obsessed” podcast, Garlin, 64, blamed his controversial exit from the sitcom on still being undiagnosed with the mental health condition at the time.
“I actually empathize with [McLendon-Covey] because, at the time, I was undiagnosed bipolar,” Garlin said. “I was miserable on the show, and I was miserable with my performance.”
“And she was always trying to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re really great on the show.’ I didn’t believe her. I just got to the point where I had to quit, and she was very resentful.”
McLendon-Covey, 56, commented “Huh” on the Instagram clip of Garlin’s interview on Monday.
In a follow-up comment, she added, “Let’s just say I remember things very differently, as does the crew, the other actors, the writers, and our executives.”
Page Six has reached out to Garlin’s rep for comment.
During the podcast interview, Garlin claimed he “had to quit” the sitcom because of his behavior, which made McLendon-Covey “very resentful” towards him.
“Being bipolar, I was either one of three things: dark, dark, dark, dark, didn’t talk and look at anyone; happy to the point of mania, never turning off my thing; or mean — really, really mean,” he explained.
Garlin added, “I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 59. This is towards the end of my time with ‘The Goldbergs.’ So I could be a lot. So when I left, she was very resentful and angry at me.”
The actor said that while McLendon-Covey may still hold a grudge against him, he doesn’t “have resentment” towards his former co-star.
“I actually love her,” he went on. “And I appreciate that she’s one of the greatest actors I’ve ever worked with. That will not be lost on me.”
Garlin abruptly exited “The Goldbergs” in 2021over allegationsof misconduct and “abusive” behavior on set.
Members of the cast and crew of the long-running ABC series were reportedly upset over demeaning language that Garlin had allegedly used as well as his unwanted hugs, Deadline reported at the time.
When McLendon-Covey appeared on Andy Cohen’s radio show in March 2023, she said Garlin’s departure from the series “was a long time coming.”
The actress then said she wanted to stop talking about the topic because she was “exhausted by everything” and “the PTSD of it all.”
“I feel like the less people know about it, the better. No one, no one benefits from knowing anything,” she shared.
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