In the weeks since CBS showrunner Peter Lenkov, who directed series like “MacGyver,” “Hawaii Five-0,” and “Magnum PI,” have been fired, dozens of people have featured stories of alleged abuse on set.
Among the 30 people who shared details was Lucas Till, the “MacGyver” star, who accused Lenkov of verbal abuse, intimidation, and bodily shame to the point that the 29-year-old actor considered suicide.
“I have never worked so hard in my life, and I am fine with hard work,” Till told Vanity Fair. “But the way Peter treats people is simply unacceptable. I committed suicide that first year on the show, because of the way it made me feel. But the way he’s treated the people around me, that’s just my breaking point. “
He even said he approached CBS executives twice, once in 2017 and once in 2020, but “they didn’t take it seriously.”
In a five-page letter to Human Resources, he accused Lenkov of complaining about his “horrible” legs during a scene in which he was wearing a hospital gown.
“I’ve had trouble maintaining ‘men’s weight’ on the show due to stress, no time to exercise, and an unpredictable schedule for proper eating,” Till wrote.
Lenkov’s lawyer told Vanity Fair that Till’s allegations are “100% false and untrue.”
Dozens of other former employees made similar allegations about the “toxic” environments created by Lenkov, including “Hawaii Five-0” writer Sarah Goldfinger, who accused him of “volatile anger.” Another told a story about “kids’ clubs” on set.
“If we were to go there and ask for an answer to a job problem, they would condescendingly say, ‘Don’t get excited,'” the unidentified woman told Vanity Fair. “I am not emotional, I need an answer.”
Lenkov was fired from CBS on July 7 and the network said the studio “has ended its relationship with him.”
“Our studio is committed to ensuring safe and respectful production environments. Over the past year, we have assigned human resource production partners to each program, expanded staff training, and increased reporting options, ”CBS TV said in a statement at the time.
“We will continue to evolve our practices with an ongoing focus on building trust with everyone who works on our sets. Every complaint is taken seriously, every complaint is investigated, and when the evidence is clear that policies were violated and values were not respected, we took decisive action. ”
Lenkov’s expulsion apparently follows a pattern on CBS, where “NCIS: New Orleans” showrunner Brad Kern, “Fam” showrunner Bob Kushell and “Star Trek: Discovery” showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts were later fired of misconduct allegations on set.
On the news side, similar scandals emerged, including “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager, who was fired for threatening a CBS reporter. “CBS This Morning” host Charlie Rose was fired after multiple sexual harassment allegations, and in September 2018 CEO Les Moonves was fired for “intentional and material misappropriation, violation of company policy, and noncompliance. of his employment contract “after a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment and assault.
