Wendi McLendon-Covey Slams Jeff Garlin’s Goldbergs Claims

Wendi McLendon-Covey broke her silence after her former costar Jeff Garlin called her “very resentful” in the years after his departure from The Goldbergs.

“Let’s just say I remember things very differently, as does the crew, the other actors, the writers, and our executives,” McLendon-Covey, 56, wrote in a social media comment after Garlin, 64, spoke about the show’s tumultuous conclusion on the Daily Beast’s “Obsessed” podcast.

Garlin claimed on the podcast that his undiagnosed bipolar disorder contributed to how he behaved on set, saying, “I actually empathize with [Wendi] because, at the time, I was undiagnosed bipolar. I was miserable on the show, and I was miserable with my performance.”

The actor recalled receiving support from McLendon-Covey, who played his wife on the show.

“I didn’t believe her. I just got to the point where I had to quit,” he said. “And she was very resentful.”

Garlin continued to address the challenges he faced, adding, “Being bipolar, I was either one of three things: dark, dark, dark, dark, didn’t talk and look at anyone. Then happy to the point of mania, never turning off my thing. Or mean — really, really mean.”

In December 2021, reports surfaced that Garlin allegedly engaged in a “pattern of verbal and physical conduct that made people uncomfortable” while working on The Goldbergs, which debuted in 2013. Garlin denied the accusations following a human resources investigation.

“No, I was not fired from The Goldbergs. I have not been fired from The Goldbergs,” he told Vanity Fair after confirming to the outlet that Sony had been looking into his behavior for three years. “There was no … Nothing physical by any stretch of the imagination. And the verbal part was a joke that was completely missed — because I like this guy.”

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He added: “If I said something silly and offensive, and I’m working at an insurance company, I think it’s a different situation. If I, as the star of the show, demanded a gun range and on set, and I was firing guns every day and I was a little bit loose — to me, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. If I threatened people, that’s an unsafe work atmosphere. None of that goes on ever with me. That’s not who I am. I am sorry to tell you that there really is no big story. Unless you want to do a story about political correctness.”

Garlin was ultimately released from his contract in 2021. The Goldbergs was later canceled after 10 seasons on ABC.

McLendon-Covey previously referred to Garlin’s exit as being “a long time” coming, saying on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show in 2023, “And [when] it finally happened, it was like, ‘OK, OK. Finally someone is listening to us.’”