Earlier this week, Deadline had a very interesting report about Clayne Crawford, star of the hit Fox show Lethal Weapon (which is just a reboot-for-television of the successful film franchise). Clayne plays the “Riggs” character, so he’s the co-lead. Deadline reported that their sources told them that Clayne “has had a history of bad behavior on the show, and that he has been disciplined several times over complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment.” His behavior has reportedly been “escalating” to the point where actors and crew don’t feel safe around him. Deadline also suggested that there is some talk of just recasting the role after three successful seasons. The story was very interesting, and as many said, if it was in a trade paper like Deadline, that means it’s pretty serious. Yesterday, Clayne responded to the report with an Instagram:
Lethal Weapon star Clayne Crawford is making amends for his bad behavior on the set of the Fox reboot. The actor on Tuesday posted a lengthy apology on his verified Instagram page in which he detailed two incidents that occurred on the Warner Bros. Television procedural. Crawford admitted that he was “reprimanded twice” during the second season of the Fox procedural.
He said the first incident happened when he became angry with what he deemed unsafe working conditions on the set. After the outburst, Crawford said he met with human resources, apologized for his role in the conflict and completed studio-appointed therapy, while also sharing a “sizable portion” of his paycheck with one of the parties involved — at Warners’ request. The second incident occurred during an episode Crawford was directing when another actor on set felt unsafe after being hit by a piece of shrapnel from an effect.
“I absolutely love, respect and care for my crew and cast, and would never intentionally jeopardize so many jobs,” Crawford wrote. “I am incredibly sorry if my passion for doing good work has ever made anyone feel less than comfortable on our set, or feel less than celebrated for their efforts. Furthermore, I apologize to all the crew and cast for any negative attention Lethal Weapon is receiving because of these incidents.”
On the plus side, he’s not dismissing it as fake news. On the minus side, I feel like we’re setting the bar way too low if we’re handing out cookies to dudes when they simply admit that yeah, they have an anger problem and yeah, it was so bad that the studio ordered them into anger-management therapy. Again, I have to ask: what would the story have been if a woman or a person of color had done this? Also: I simply don’t believe that the two incidents Clayne described were the sum total of his toxic male bulls–t. Those two incidents he described were part of a larger pattern of toxic behavior, I’m absolutely sure.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Who is this guy? I read this story and then went to IMDB to see if he earned all of this artistic anger and came away asking again, ‘Who is this guy?’
He’s one of the two main characters on the Lethal Weapon reboot on Fox on Tuesday nights
I got that part, but how did he get there? It wasn’t his first job. He’s not that attractive, doesn’t seem to have any big hits on his resume, i just don’t understand why he’s throwing his weight around like he’s somebody.
Neelyo, I’m with you; I have no idea who this guy is, and IMDB’d him, too. For a second I wondered, “When did David Cassidy grow a beard?” and then I remembered he passed away recently!
This guy reminds me of Tarrantino, who got Uma Thurmond injured because of his “artistic vision”. These guys need to just go to hell, or do the damned stunts themselves, and stop putting others in danger.
He played a jerk who was killed on an episode of Buffy.
Oh sorry I didn’t understand your original question
Too bad he doesn’t have JD’s charisma and pretty boy looks + fabulous PR machine because JD was an absolutely terror on 21 Jump Street series to the point where he punched producers, but it was all worked into rebel artist rep that JD curated and sold to the public.
He was amazing in RECTIFY (a series, now on netflix… see my post below).
All of this!!! Why does he feel permitted to behave like this? It is astonishing to me that Fox let it go that long. I have no doubt that it is way worse than it is being portrayed. He is a dime a dozen and can be easily replaced with someone with more talent, better looks and professionalism. He’s trash.
No amount of success or big films/TV on a resume are an excuse to act this way (but I do get your point that he’s not exactly irreplaceable).
Lol @ his “I’m sorry I’m so passionate about my job” non apology.
“I am incredibly sorry if my passion for doing good work has ever made anyone feel less than comfortable on our set”
OMG, what a self-important ARTIST! d-bag.
I’m just so passionate about my ART!!! that sometimes I take it too far for you philistines to understand…can’t you just let me be the great ARTIST! that I am?!!!!
@ whatWHAT? : D-bag indeed.
For 20 years, I worked as a lawyer and I represented a lot of women who were had fled (with children) to shelters to escape a violent partner. Years and years of listening to the BS that men like that spew out to “explain” and justify their violence. IMO from listening to his “apology”, this guy (who I’ve never heard of) is the real thing – a really violent a**hole trying to smooth it over so that he doesn’t have to take responsibility for his awful behaviour.
I know, right? Repugnant.
Yeah that’s such bullshit.
I know him a little and have spent time with his family. His wife is an absolute doll and his oldest and youngest kids are super sweet. Every time I was around, he was always really quiet, so it surprised me to hear this. Usually where there’s smoke, there’s fire though. If his professionalism leaves a lot to be desired, I hope that this teaches him to think before he acts in the future.
Oh cool how do you know them?
Question though. You said the oldest and the youngest child are pretty cool. What’s up with that middle kid though? A total butt head or umm uh artsy like the dad? Lol 😁
He’s from my hometown and his family and mine have some of the same friends, so we’ve spent time on playdates and other events. I haven’t been around his middle son quite as much, so I don’t have much of an opinion other than he’s a cute kid.
“I hope that this teaches him to think before he acts in the future.“
If he gets fired from this show, I don’t think he’ll be doing a whole lot of acting at all for the foreseeable future. (I know that’s not what you meant…)
Why oh why do actors think they’ll get a pass for crappy behavior? It’s just too easy to replace someone like this.
@2121 : This type of guy has spent his whole life learning how to cover up, to convince everyone how “sweet” he is, how well mannered he is. They are sociopaths. And then he turns around on the wife before he hits her and says it is all her fault because everyone else “loves” him and no one else makes him so “angry”. As for his well behaved children, they may have been so well behaved in public because they knew daddy would hit them when they got home if they did make a “perfect” impression in public. I am not kidding. The families of these people live in a private hell.
Woah there, that’s a bit of a leap isn’t it? I’m sorry if you are recounting your own experiences, but DV isn’t predominantly an anger management issue, which is why anger management classes aren’t recommended for abusers. It is possible to be an *sshole at work but non abusive in the home.
That’s kind of a generalization, especially since you don’t know his family. I’m not defending his behavior at all. What he did at work was wrong and any consequences he receives are deserved. I’m just saying that I am decently well acquainted with his family and they are incredibly nice people. There are plenty of people who are jerks at work and loving husbands and dads at home. Everything I’ve ever seen of him in person points to a loving father and husband and I’m pretty good at spotting red flags.
@Gretchen: I would bet that it was more than just him being an a**hole. the fact that he had to make a pay out, AND that it made it to the public airwaves, would indicate that it was more than just being a jerk. he speaks of two instances where he was reprimanded; I’d be willing to bet it was more than two instances; he was only reprimanded twice. these types learn to use words/semantics that cover their butts. based on all of that, I’d be willing to make an assumption about his home life.
@2121, you clearly “know” them more than most (all?) of us on here, but how WELL do you know them? do you and your spouse/SO have dinner with them? often? have you spent extended periods (like a vacation/trip) with them? do you spend anytime alone with his wife? alone with his kids? you say “playdates and other events”…instances where I would suspect he’d be on his best behavior (IF he were an abuser) so it would be hard to see anything that stood out. as sarah points out, abusers are often sociopaths, and are very good at making everyone think “he’s the nicest guy!” ex: I had a close friend who was being emotionally and physically abused; all of us thought he was the nicest guy, he doted on her (in public), seemed like the perfect gentleman (holding doors, helping her sit, helping with coat on/off, etc) but behind closed doors? hit her hard enough to bruise her. when she broke up with him (the final time, when it actually stuck) and told us why, we were all shocked. “he was so nice to you! I can’t believe it!” etc. so, while I won’t tell you to believe me over your own experience with him and his family, it’s something to keep in mind. everything I ever saw of that guy also pointed to a loving partner, but I was WAY wrong.
I am willing to bet money his wife and children know a completely different side to him. I am sure they are all too familiar with his behavior at work. He knows when to turn it on and off and if he felt comfortable enough to act like this at his job…where his livelihood is based- where his employers are. I have no doubt in my mind he is MUCH worse at home.
I’m sorry but that’s a total reach. The most tyrannical a*hole I ever knew in a workplace used to have his daughter working in the company. He would scream at people, throw things, even right in front of her, and then turn to her with a smile saying “is there anything you need sweetheart” and bend over backwards to help her be excellent in her job. It was unbelievable, like night and day. It is perfectly possible to be a nightmare at work and an angel at home. As Gretchen said DV has different roots. Abusers more often know how to hide their abuse than display it in public.
No idea who this guy was until Celebitchy posted about him a few days ago… But I want to punch his face.
He’s punchable I;a totally different way but reminiscent of Martin Shkreli.
This coming from a woman whose never punched anyone in her life.
I’ve worked with people like this-people who think screaming and swearing at co-workers is appropriate, slamming doors in people’s faces, etc. It really did affect my ability to do my own job and to behave professionally after a while, so it might come down to who are they willing to lose-him vs the cast/crew affected.
I have never watched the show and have never heard of this guy. Is it me or does he have a “creepy dude” vibe going on?
I’ve always been creeped out by him.
I’ve never heard of him, either, but it sounds as if he’s “sorry” because he got busted being a tw@t.
yes, like most celebs/politicians etc…they’re not sorry for their actions, they’re sorry they got caught or that their behavior became public knowledge.
Lots of corporate CEOs have also made similar non-apologies–it’s really not exclusive to celebs and politicians. Athletes, too.
Really, let’s just be honest and admit that it’s generally difficult for humans to admit that they messed up and issue a genuine apology. Hell, we are seeing that play out even with Trump supporters.
right, which is why I included “etc”.
honestly, I try to be VERY aware of how I apologize to my bf (and anyone, of course)…I think about what I say before I say it, and say “I am sorry I said that to you and made you feel bad” rather than “I’m sorry if you felt bad about what I said”. it makes such a difference.
Kaiser, we know the answer to your question, Isiah Washington was fired from a much more valuable property, Grey’s Anatomy, and no longer has a career, really.
That is true.
But I think it’s also important to note that this was a Shonda Rhimes show. I think it was more her doing than anything else that led to his behaviour having actualy consequences. Which I absolutely applaud her for.
It seems the showrunners/producers on this show are less interested in disciplining Crawford. I don’t believe for a second that these two ‘official’ reprimands were the only reprimands he actually got on that set.
I also think that for this story to become THIS public it must have been bad. Usually it’s all rumours and blind items or maybe a cast member leaving but staying relatively silent.
“I also think that for this story to become THIS public it must have been bad.”
also, he made a pay off…”a sizable portion” at the request of the production company?…def something bad.
“But I think it’s also important to note that this was a Shonda Rhimes show. I think it was more her doing than anything else that led to his behaviour having actualy consequences. Which I absolutely applaud her for.*
If (admittedly poor) memory serves me, Washington recently said Rhimes told him she was *urged* to terminate him. Rhimes did/has not denied this, at least publicly. No idea where the truth lies, but just a consideration…
Crawford didn’t call a co-worker a f****t, so this is a false equivalency.
Do we know what he did? Like the actual version and not just his version?
Sorry, but for him to get officially reprimanded TWICE, be ordered into therapy AND have to pay someone from his own salary…
Like, what more evidence for bad behaviour do you need. Who gives a crap what exactly he did?! It was obviously unprofessional and not behaviour appropiate to the work place.
He was the douchebag friend in A Walk To Remember as well. That’s all I know him from.
He reminds me of every bartender/actor guy in LA and Brooklyn. Like he’d serve you hand crafted craft beer while talking passionately about his craft. He put like everything he had in his soul into playing the part of that one guy who gets killed in Buffy. He will give you extra snack mix at the bar because he thinks your cute and falling for his actor act. Hahahahaha you know that type of guy right?
Yep!!!
I neither drink, nor am cute, nor live in a huge city, so no but I think I got you.
Thought this was Jon Snow when scrolling past.
He played a dbag in A Love Song for Bobby Long.
I really hope he didn’t go after Hilaire Burton. I know she just had a baby but after the nightmare of the last few years, that would be terrible
He was incredible in “Rectify”. Also, that’s one of the best TV series of the last 20 years.
It aired on SundanceTV, but it’s on Netflix now (at least in Canada).
I encourage people who like thoughtful storytelling to check it out. A really great series.
Just commenting to acknowledge Rectify. It was amazing and highly recommend to all.
That explanation of his is bringing up all sorts of red flags for me. Yikes.
He had an “outburst” that led to him giving a sizable portion of his paycheck to the other party? That sounds like more than emotional abuse, that sounds like it might’ve gotten physical imo. Is there another reason someone would give up part of their paycheck to someone else involved in an argument? I’ve got a headache so someone help me out lol
But for real, this feels like too little too late. The guy’s behavior is so bad that Deadline wrote up a piece, the crew and other actors are obviously sick of him. Would love to know what Wayans thinks about working with him and his behavior on set since they obviously film so much together
His LW character is supposed to be at least halfway off the rails, so if he’s method-y he might not switch to “off” when he should. No excuse for being an a-hole to others. Why “my” crew instead of the crew?
I like the show & the chemistry between the 2 leads is good, with just the right amount of humor.
I love LW! He’s so charming and funny as Riggs and it’s the perfect guilty pleasure show. I’m sad he’s clearly awful in real life. 🙁
So, he admits his “first” outburst came when HE felt unsafe under a guest director, and then his “second” reprimand came when someone felt unsafe because they were ACTUALLY INJURED under his direction. Hm.
Also, no way are these the only 2 incidents. Emotional abuse and a hostile work environment are created over a long period of time.
@ Jenns : I agree with you that there are probably more incidents that are not being mentioned. He pushed his limits maybe and then went beyond them.
I too am sure those 2 are not isolated incidents.
Also, I can see 1 outburst being forgiven if he made amends and watched his behavior after that. But after 2? Nope. Gone. He’s a liability.
His behavior would have gone on FOREVER if the press hadn’t gotten hold of the story. Our free press has an important job. It can be a refuge for people who can’t get any power from within the closed studio system that prizes money over the way human beings get treated by the money makers. Good job, free press, for making sure this guy got held accountable for his, er, what was it? His “passion for making good work?”
I can tell from the comments that not a lot of people are watching the Lethal Weapon show. Let me tell you, Crawford is *great* as Martin Riggs on the show. He and Damon Wayans have tremendous chemistry, both comic and dramatic, which is hard to find. On a 2-lead show, where the main narrative arc is about their partnership evolving over time, it is going to be difficult if not impossible for Fox to recast the role. Firstly, it’s a tough part to cast — this is a weekly action/drama/comedy that requires that the actor be a great onscreen foil/teammate for Wayans. Lots of actors that could do it just wouldn’t accept the job, it’s too much of a grind, takes too many weeks out of the year to shoot, it’s tons of hours every shooting day and very very physically demanding for the Riggs actor. So, I don’t know what’s happening with this series of statements, but it seems to me that Fox is maybe trying to scare the actor into shaping up so that they don’t have to fire him, because I think they really really don’t want to recast the part. Or they’re playing it both ways: if he can be scared straight, great; if he can’t, then they’ll fire him and try the impossible, which is successfully recasting one of two leads in a demanding and well-rated but non-prestige series, and at least maybe the fan base won’t hate them for it. Whatever the series/network are thinking, this is a tricky situation, it’s not just as simple as, “Let’s dump him.” His character not a supporting player in a 5- or 7-person cast. The show depends on Riggs/Murtaugh in every way. It’s very possible that if they dump him, the show’s over, either b/c they can’t recast or because they can and it doesn’t work.
Deadline.com published more details about the most recent incident, which involved Damon Wayans. I agree that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and it also sounds like Damon Wayans is bringing in his own issues, like not doing table reads (he’s a big star, right?) and refusing to carry a gun in some scenes. I think it takes two to tango and would be sad if the entire cast and crew suffered for this. I also read there is no showrunner, no executive producer, and neither of the stars has representation. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next.
The unfortunate irony that we have yet another actor playing Martin Riggs who happens to be an ass.