F. Murray Abraham issues apology over allegations that led to his exit on ‘Mythic Quest’
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
“White Lotus” star F. Murray Abraham issued an apology on Thursday in response to a Rolling Stone report published Monday that the actor’s departure last year from the Apple TV+ series “Mythic Quest” was due to allegations of sexual misconduct.
It was alleged in Rolling Stone’s report that, according to a production source, two separate incidents involving Abraham had occurred on the “Mythic Quest” set, with the first incident resulting in a warning to Abraham.
Once the second concern was raised and brought to the show’s creator Rob McElhenney, the outlet reported that Abraham was “let go” from the show.
“This is a sincere and deeply felt apology,” Abraham’s statement shared with CNN on Thursday read. “Though never my intention to offend anyone, I told jokes, nothing more, that upset some of my colleagues and as a result lost a great job with wonderful people.”
In the statement, Abraham concluded that he’s “grown in my understanding from this experience, and I hope they will forgive me.”
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Lionsgate, the studio that produces “Mythic Quest,” told CNN on Thursday that “we take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly. As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss personnel actions.”
Abraham had been part of the “Mythic Quest” cast since the show’s inception, first appearing in the 2020 pilot episode and continuing as a series regular through Season 2. “Mythic Quest” is a comedy about a group of video game developers and their dynamics in the office. Abraham played writer C.W. Longbottom, a central character in the show, who works in the office.
Lionsgate had previously announced that Abraham would not return for the Apple TV+ show’s third season in April of 2022.
The Oscar-winner most recently appeared as crass grandfather Bert Di Grasso in the second season of HBO’s “The White Lotus” in 2022. He was also in an episode of Netflix’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities” last fall.
The-CNN-Wire
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