"MacGyver" star Lucas Till has admitted that he felt "suicidal" on the set of the CBS reboot after former showrunner Peter Lenkov verbally abused and bullied him. Lenkov was fired two weeks ago following an investigation into claims he created a toxic work environment and now Till has opened up about his experience in an interview with Vanity Fair published on Monday.
"I’ve never worked this hard in my life, and I am fine with hard work," the 19-year-old said. "But the way Peter treats people is just unacceptable. I was suicidal that first year on the show because of the way he made me feel. But the way he’s treated the people around me — that’s just my breaking point."
Till told the outlet that he first approached CBS executives with his problems in 2017 but thought they had dismissed it. He brought the issue up again earlier this year, prompting a formal inquiry. Till detailed his experiences with Lenkov, who was also the showrunner behind "Hawaii Five-0" and "Magnum P.I.," in a lengthy letter to the CBS TV Studio's human resources department during the investigation.
"There was always something about my appearance that wouldn’t please him like when I was in a hospital gown and our producer … thought it was funny that [Lenkov] said my legs were 'f—ing hideous' and we can never show them again," he wrote. "Honestly, I found some humor in that comment as well, but you can imagine if that was a more sensitive spot that he had hit, and often did. Just like the time he screamed at [a director] 'Oh, my f—ing God! Tuck his shirt in, he looks like a little f—ing boy.' Just hire a 35-year-old then."
Lenkov has denied all allegations of abuse and mistreatment but issued an apology to his former colleagues.
"Now is the time to listen and I am listening," he said in a statement to Vanity Fair. "It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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