Wendi McLendon-Covey has publicly rejected Jeff Garlin’s explanation for his behavior on “The Goldbergs.”
The actress, 56, left a pointed comment on an Instagram clip of Garlin’s interview’s “Obsessed” podcast this past Monday. Her single-word response to the comedian’s claims: “Huh.”
Garlin, 64, had used the podcast to attribute his controversial exit from the ABC sitcom to undiagnosed bipolar disorder. “I actually empathize with [McLendon-Covey] because, at the time, I was undiagnosed bipolar,” he said in the interview. “I was miserable on the show, and I was miserable with my performance.”
The comedian claimed his former co-star had tried to support him during their time working together. “And she was always trying to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re really great on the show.’ I didn’t believe her. I just got to the point where I had to quit, and she was very resentful.”
McLendon-Covey quickly pushed back with a follow-up comment on the same Instagram post, making clear she disputes his entire account. “Let’s just say I remember things very differently, as does the crew, the other actors, the writers, and our executives,” she wrote.
During the podcast, Garlin offered a stark description of how he said the untreated condition manifested around colleagues. “Being bipolar, I was either one of three things: dark, dark, dark, dark, didn’t talk and look at anyone; happy to the point of mania, never turning off my thing; or mean — really, really mean,” he explained.
He noted that his diagnosis came at age 59, near the end of his run on the series. “This is towards the end of my time with ‘The Goldbergs.’ So I could be a lot. So when I left, she was very resentful and angry at me.”
Despite McLendon-Covey’s apparent ongoing grievance, Garlin insisted he holds no ill will. “I actually love her,” he continued. “And I appreciate that she’s one of the greatest actors I’ve ever worked with. That will not be lost on me.”
The rift between the two performers dates back to Garlin’s abrupt departure from “The Goldbergs” in 2021. At that time, multiple reports cited allegations of misconduct and abusive behavior on set, with cast and crew members said to be upset over demeaning language Garlin allegedly used as well as unwanted physical contact including hugs.
When McLendon-Covey spoke with Andy Cohen on his radio show in March 2023, she indicated the split had been building for years. “It was a long time coming,” she said then. She also expressed her own fatigue with the subject, telling Cohen she wanted to stop discussing it because she was “exhausted by everything” and “the PTSD of it all,” She added that she felt “the less people know about it, the better. No one, no one benefits from knowing anything.”
The back-and-forth on Instagram this week marks the latest chapter in a feud that has played out intermittently since Garlin’s exit, with McLendon-Covey previously signaling her desire to move on even as she makes clear her version of events does not align with his.
Garlin’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on McLendon-Covey’s pushback.
