Jeff Franklin, the TV veteran who created Full House, and its more recent revival Fuller House, has been fired from the new show in the wake of claims about inappropriate behavior. Variety reports today that Warner Bros. TV, which produces Fuller House, said it will not renew its deal with Franklin. He also serves as the program’s showrunner.
Multiple sources told Variety that Warner Bros. TV received “complaints about Franklin’s behavior in the writers’ room and on the set of the series.” Franklin, 63, was accused of being “verbally abusive to staffers,” including making “sexually charged comments” about his own relationships and sex life. The report goes on to say that Franklin has not been accused of direct sexual harassment or inappropriate physical behavior with anyone who works on Fuller House, though he stands accused of bringing his personal romantic interests to the set and then giving them small parts in the show.
According to one source speaking to Variety, an anonymous letter was sent to Warner Bros. TV executives “more than two years” ago regarding these allegations, though it is unclear if the company looked into the matter at the time.
Warner Bros. TV said in a statement that Franklin “will no longer be working on Fuller House.” Franklin’s lawyer declined to comment. In the report, it is claimed that Franklin was referred to by some as “a walking lawsuit waiting to happen.”
Although Franklin is heading out, Fuller House will continue. A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed today that the planned fourth season is still being produced as scheduled. Production on the show is expected to begin “in the next few months.”