Following the sexual harassment accusations of two trans women, Jeffrey Tambor parted ways with “Transparent” and his Emmy-winning role as titular “trans parent” Maura Pfefferman.
Now a third woman is coming forward with her allegations of being sexually harassed by Tambor on a set, the first non-trans woman to lodge an accusation.
Tamara Delbridge was a makeup assistant working with Tambor on the film “Never Again” in 2001 when, she claims in an interview with Refinery 29, he shocked her by unexpectedly kissing her on the lips at the end of the shoot.
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“I said [to Tambor], ‘It was very nice to work with you’ and he grabbed me out of nowhere and kissed me on the lips,” she said. “And I was just shocked. I didn’t even know how to react, because how do you react when you’re not expecting anything like that? So I didn’t know if I was embarrassed or shocked or mortified or stunned. It was a whole bunch of emotions.”
According to Delbridge, she wondered at the time whether “she’d accidentally come across as flirtatious,” and claims that actor Bill Duke saw what happened and assured her she hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Bill Duke stopped me and he said, ‘That was inappropriate.’ In my mind he just confirmed that I didn’t do anything to provoke it,” Delbridge said. “I don’t know why [Tambor] did that to me. But an older, prominent actor violated me and then another older, prominent actor let me know that it was inappropriate. So I think it’s important to add because I will appreciate Bill Duke until the day I die. I was new and he didn’t turn his back… He made it a point to let me know that what happened wasn’t acceptable.”
Delbridge tells the site that she doesn’t know whether Duke confronted Tambor about the alleged incident.
Tambor addressed Delbridge’s allegations in an emailed statement. “I have absolutely no recollection of anything like this incident ever happening,” writes Tambor in his statement. “If it did, it wasn’t meant as anything more than an enthusiastic farewell and gratitude for a job well done at the end of a shoot. However, I am deeply sorry for any discomfort or offense I may have inadvertently caused her.”
