‘Doctor Odyssey' Crewmembers Sue Disney for Alleged Sexual Harassment on Set, ‘Blacklisting' Them After Filing Complaint
In the suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, plaintiffs Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland and Ava Steinbrenner claim that Tyler Patton, the assistant prop master on 'Doctor Odyssey,' would subject the three to 'sexual jokes, innuendos, comments, sexual gestures and images' as well as 'unwanted touching,' such as 'openly grabbing a visiting female employee's buttocks.'
More from Variety
With Disney's New 'Lilo & Stitch' in Theaters, Here's How to Get the Original Animated Film on DVD/4K Ultra HD
'The Devil Wears Prada' Sequel Set for May 2026; Ridley Scott's 'The Dog Stars' Dated for March
Justin Connolly, After Exiting Disney, Joins YouTube as Global Head of Media and Sports; Disney Sues Over Exec's Hiring
In one account contained in the suit, Patton allegedly sent prop department employees a story appearing to reference news that President Biden had dropped out of the 2024 election. But the link redirected to a picture of a naked male with an erect penis. Other comments allegedly made by Patton include calling one of the plaintiffs a 'chick' and saying 'come over here and open your mouth, here's the worm.'
The lead prop master on 'Doctor Odyssey' was Tammie Patton, Tyler's wife. The suit claims that Tammie and Disney hired Tyler with 'knowledge that prior allegations of sexual harassment had been lodged' against him. Patton was previously named in a 2010 lawsuit against Universal Network Television, which claimed advanced sexual harassment and retaliation allegations on the set of 'House.' In that complaint, ex-employee Carl Jones alleged that Patton groped his genitals and made sexual propositions to female co-workers.
The 'Doctor Odyssey' suit also claims that Patton's harassment would occur 'daily and frequently in the presence of management.' During one confrontation, Patton allegedly exclaimed, 'If I wasn't fucking the boss, I'd be fired.'
Patton was terminated after plaintiffs reported his behavior to human resources, according to the complaint. Shortly after, Tammie Patton allegedly 'began to engage in retaliatory behavior,' including threatening their employment. The entire props department was later laid off, though Disney 'then almost immediately hired a whole new set of employees,' the suit states.
The suit argues that 'Defendants wiped the Prop Department's slate clean to avoid having to deal with any remaining 27 employee-relations issues tied to Tyler Patton's and Tammie Patton's misconduct.' The plaintiffs also claim that they have been 'blacklisted' by Disney 'in retaliation for bringing forward their good-faith complaints.'
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'Doctor Odyssey' has not yet been renewed for a second season. It is now the only scripted series at ABC with an undetermined future.
Best of Variety
What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
WWE Moves Premium Live Events From Peacock to ESPN Ahead of Schedule
The Disney-owned sports network will roll out 'Wrestlepalooza,' a brand-new live event, on Sept. 20 WWE is moving their premium live events from Peacock to ESPN beginning with the upcoming 'Wrestlepalooza' next month. The new live event will air on Saturday, September 20 on the network, earlier than the originally 2026 plan. 'Wrestlepalooze' will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. More from TheWrap 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' Cast vs. Their Real-Life Counterparts | Photos Rashida Jones Thought About Her Own Death While Making 'Black Mirror': 'I Know That Sounds Heavy' Sydney Sweeney Questions Backlash to Her Bathwater-Infused Soap Line – Especially Given Who's Criticizing It Ayo Edebiri Says Deciding if 'The Bear' Is a Comedy Is 'Honestly Above My Pay Grade' The event will feature John Cena, as well as Undisputed WWE Champion 'The American Nightmare' Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre in major matches. 'Wrestlepalooza' will be the final time Cena wrestles in Indianapolis as he continues his 2025 retirement tour. 'On September 20, WWE and ESPN are coming together for a can't-miss event to kick off our new partnership,' said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque. 'The biggest Superstars in WWE. The biggest brand in sports media. Are you ready?' Previously, Peacock held the rights to WWE's live specials, including iconic staples like 'Wrestlemania.' The date also marks the beginning of ESPN being the new home for WWE PLEs. Upcoming events following 'Wrestlepalooza' include Crown Jewel on Oct. 11 and Survivor Series on Nov. 29. The WWE PLEs will be a part of ESPN's new standalone streaming service which is set to launch Thursday. The platform will offer a combination of ESPN's original network programming, new fantasy sports integrations, enhanced statistics and betting and e-commerce features. A variety of subscription plans costing everywhere from $29.99 to $11.99 per month will be available to consumers. Subscribers will also be able to subscribe to ESPN's app in ad-supported and ad-free bundles with Disney+ and Hulu for $35.99 and $44.99 per month. The post WWE Moves Premium Live Events From Peacock to ESPN Ahead of Schedule appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How ESPN Aims to Prop Up Disney+
When ESPN launches its streaming app Aug. 21, bundling is a big part of the strategy. Disney is planning to use the new sports content to help drive subscribers to sign up for its streaming bundle, which includes the new ESPN app, Disney+ and Hulu, in the hopes of bringing more frequent engagement to its streaming services and cutting down on churn. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Entertainment Tonight' Star Kevin Frazier Teams With Stephen A. Smith at Straight Shooter Media U.S. Open 2025 Livestream: Here's How to Watch the Grand Slam Tennis Tournament Online WNBA on Sling TV: How to Watch New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces Live Online Amid declining cable viewership, ESPN (priced alone at $29.99 monthly) is also being asked to appeal to fans by bundling with other sports services. Ahead of launch, ESPN had been experimenting with placing content within the Disney+ app, with the original shows SC+, a daily SportsCenter spinoff, and Vibe Check, a female-led studio program, to see whether there is crossover appeal for sports content with the core Disney+ audience, which skews younger and more female than the typical ESPN audience and has a larger user base than ESPN+. In doing so, execs found that subscribers were coming back to Disney+ more frequently, an important goal post for the streamer; that offered proof that there could be an appetite for a bundle that brought sports to fans of general entertainment and vice versa. The goal is now to bring in those subscribers, as well as the new, incoming sports fans, to the streaming bundle, which will be priced at launch at what it costs for ESPN alone, a promotional $29.99. ESPN Unlimited will be available inside the Disney+ platform, as will Hulu, which the company has found increases engagement for that content as compared to when subscribers have to watch on a separate app. 'Bundle subscribers are among the most engaged. They churn the least, they watch the most, and they're the most satisfied subscribers we have,' Alisa Bowen, president of Disney+, tells The Hollywood Reporter in an interview on August 15. The Disney+ audience (128 million subscribers) is viewed as additive to the main audience for the new ESPN app, which is namely sports fans who aren't already subscribed to ESPN through cable, satellite or digital subs. 'We're not looking to lure people from existing environments who are perfectly happy getting ESPN through cable, satellite or digital subscription,' says Burke Magnus, ESPN's president of content. The ESPN app will include all of ESPN's live sports and studio shows as well as fantasy sports products, betting information, docs and more. The company signed a deal to bring WWE's premium live events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, to the service in the U.S. starting next year and has an expanded rights deal with the NFL, including the NFL Network, which will be integrated into the streaming app. The preference is to keep subscribers within the Disney family. But subscribers who are looking for more sports content will also have the option this fall to bundle with the new Fox One Sports app ($39.99), and Magnus notes that kind of thing could just be the start. 'I just think there will be more of those,' he says, 'whether those are other media or sports media products from other media entities or whether those are other existing products that are specific to sports. A lot of leagues, for example, and teams, have their own streaming products that could be packaged and bundled with ESPN.' All of this comes after the collapse of Venu, the sports-focused streaming service founded by Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox that dissolved in January after legal threats from competitors. Magnus adds, 'Either the time wasn't right or the circumstances weren't right, but it certainly opened up the aperture for us, and I think others, to imagine a world where this kind of thing, whether it's all of ESPN or co-bundling in the streaming environment would be possible.' This story appeared in the Aug. 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Obama: Newsom redistricting approach ‘responsible'
Former President Obama backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)'s plan to redraw California's congressional districts if it helps offset new maps in Texas that are more favorable to Republicans. 'I believe that Gov. Newsom's approach is a responsible approach,' Obama told a Martha's Vineyard, Mass., fundraiser crowd Tuesday, according to excerpts shared with reporters. 'We're only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn't go into effect.' Newsom, who is considered a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, has been leading Democrats as they battle against the GOP's efforts to maintain control of the House in the 2026 midterms. President Trump set off a political arms race for more right-tilted and left-tilted House districts in states where one party holds control. Trump pushed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to call state lawmakers into a special session to approve new maps to boost the number of reliably Republican seats, setting off a fight with Democrats in Texas and elsewhere. Newsom responded by calling on California lawmakers to come up with ways to skirt the state's redistricting regulations and produce maps more favorable to Democrats to even the score. Obama said he personally believes that redistricting should be strictly nonpartisan, but he doesn't fault Democrats for engaging in the tit-for-tat. 'I've had to wrestle with my preference, which would be that we don't have political gerrymandering, but what I also know is that if we don't respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy,' he told the crowd. 'They want to restrict it, and they're not that shy about saying so.' 'That is not my preference, but we cannot unilaterally allow one of the two major parties to rig the game, and California is one of the states that has the capacity to offset a large state like Texas,' he added. Obama was speaking at an event for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates that raised $2 million. Former Attorney General Eric Holder and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also attended.
