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(JTA) \u2014 Jeffrey Tambor, the star of the Emmy-winning television comedy \u201cTransparent,\u201d denied sexual harassment allegations made by a female member of the show\u2019s cast a week after denying similar charges by his former assistant.<\/p>\n
Tambor issued the denial in a statement Friday in response to claims made earlier in the week by Trace Lysette, who has played the recurring character Shea on the Amazon series since its first season, MNE reported.<\/p>\n
Lysette wrote on Twitter that Tambor had made \u201csexual advances and comments\u201d toward her and \u201cone time it got physical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tambor, who is Jewish, plays the transgender head of dysfunctional Jewish family in the series.<\/p>\n
He said in his statement: \u201cI know I haven\u2019t 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. But I have never been a predator \u2013 ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
The claims against Tambor, which are the subject of an internal probe launched by Amazon, are the latest in a string of complaints made against celebrities in the wake of a New York Times article last month about the alleged harassment by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was fired from the company he founded over the allegations.<\/p>\n
Tambor\u2019s former assistant, Van Barnes, a transgender woman, made the allegations in a private Facebook post on Nov. 8 that was not widely circulated in the media. Tambor dismissed them as \u201cbaseless\u201d charges coming from a \u201cdisgruntled former assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lysette said Tambor sexualized her in front of co-star Alexandra Billings during a break on set. The actress said she laughed off the comments because \u201cit was so absurd\u201d and she thought \u201csurely it had to be a joke.\u201d But she claimed the harassment turned physical later that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn between takes, I stood in a corner on the set as the crew reset for a wide shot. My back was against the wall in a corner as Jeffrey approached me,\u201d Lysette tweeted. \u201cHe came in close, put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrusts back and forth against my body. I felt his penis on my hip through his thin pajamas and I pushed him off of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amazon launched an investigation into the sexual harassment claims made by Barnes earlier this month, and the company said it is aware of Lysette\u2019s accusation and is now looking into it as well.<\/p>\n