The Umbrella Academy showrunner denies accusations of toxic behavior & bullying
Steve Blackman, the co-creator of The Umbrella Academy (originally written by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá) adaptation on Netflix, has denied allegations that he created a toxic and bullying environment that discriminated against women. Twelve sources who were writers or staffers on the show spoke with Rolling Stone for their exposé on Blackman. Several of the allegations stem from a January 2023 HR complaint, which said Blackman had a “long history of toxic, bullying, manipulative, and retaliatory behavior.” The complaint resulted in the show’s production studio launching an investigation. Although the probe concluded that Blackman had made “inappropriate and unprofessional remarks” and used “foul and derogatory language,” several of the accusers said they weren’t even contacted by Netflix or UCP as part of the investigation. Out of the 17 key people mentioned in the complaint and supporting documents, only two people confirmed they had been contacted by HR, one of whom was the writer who filed the complaint. Two other complaints were filed during season 2.
transphobia/homophobia
Although the show received praise for the way it handled Elliot Page coming out as trans and non-binary by paralleling the story with his character Vanya transitioning to Viktor, one of the accusers shared text messages from Blackman that said, “Elliot [Page] wants to come out as trans on the show. As Ivan. Oh my f-king God. Kill me now.” [note: the character's name was later changed from Ivan to Viktor] The writing staff said they wanted to have a discussion about how to best support Elliot but according to texts/emails, Blackman was allegedly reluctant to get involved because he was concerned about jeopardizing a spinoff series he was pitching to Netflix at the time. One staffer said Blackman refused to come into the writers' room to talk about it.
Sources also told Rolling Stone that Blackman made what they viewed as homophobic and transphobic comments, including juvenile and perverse commentary on individuals’ sexualities and wondering aloud about people’s anatomies and then attempting to pass off inappropriate comments as harmless jokes and innocent questions. One staffer said, “He could be very good at dropping something that starts to be transphobic or homophobic, like, ‘They’re a he/she.' But then [he’ll say], ‘It’s all good, I support it. It’s awesome, live your best life.’ … He toes the line of seeing who will join in and laugh with him, and then if nobody does, really skillfully backpedals.”
sexism
According to the HR complaint and several of the sources, he made sexist, lewd, and disparaging comments, such as remarks about female staffers’ breast sizes and wondering aloud about their sexual proclivities. In one text to a staffer, he referred to another employee's "rack." A female writer said, “I found it to be an incredibly sexist environment. If you were female, you were treated with hostility, or like you were stupid.” A male writer said, "He’s like one of those dudes who wants their boys to like them. I remember him talking about one of the [other staffers], about how attractive he thought they were and how great their ass was - that kind of shit you hear old men say. It’s just gross [and] repugnant, like, ‘Man, you are fucking vile.’”
When beginning prep for the first season of TUA, Blackman conducted an in-person interview with a female writing duo, one of whom was in her third trimester of pregnancy. They were interviewed as a team, meaning they would split one salary. He offered them a standard 20 week contract. The pregnant writer told him that she would be taking maternity leave but that her writing partner would continue to complete their team's work. When she returned from her leave, she had one month left on her contract. The show extended all of the writers' contracts for an additional 10 weeks so they could finish the season. The female duo were the only writers not to receive the 10 week extension. Blackman claimed it was due to the budget, but four sources said he told them he felt "ripped off" because he didn't know she was pregnant when he hired her. The sources told Rolling Stone, “He told me he fired them because one was pregnant and didn’t tell him.”
racism
Season 2 featured a storyline with a Black character during the Civil Rights era. During a season kickoff event in Toronto, the Black actress playing this character and two POC writers had a conversation in the bathroom where they expressed frustration that Blackman had refused to accept suggestions that could strengthen the story. When Blackman learned of this conversation, he was furious and demanded to know what had been said during this conversation. One of the writers said that it was a private conversation that took place outside of work and would not disclose any additional details. He told another staffer, "She's done," and she was not brought back the following season. According to the Rolling Stone sources, the actress later filed a complaint that involved Blackman.
plagiarism
Blackman originally credited himself as the sole writer for the series finale. Other staff writers objected and the Writer’s Guild of America intervened, changing the series finale credit to give another writer the sole “story by” credit and adding three additional writers to the “teleplay by” credit.
Sources said he regularly took credit for other people's work. He would have assistants pitch ideas then send the on errands so he could pitch those ideas in the writers' room as his own. Entry-level staffers such as personal assistants, writers’ assistants, production assistants, and script coordinators said they wrote entire scenes for him with the promise of receiving credit on the episode or being promoted to staff writer for the next season (neither of which ever happened).
response
Blackman's spokesman denied the allegations, calling them “entirely untrue” and “completely absurd.” His spokesman said that Blackman never “retaliated against anyone,” and “no writer was ever fired” over the show’s four seasons. “At the end of contracts, as is standard practice, a decision is made about whether to renew those contracts for an additional season. Those decisions are made solely based on performance and available budget, and any allegations to the contrary are false. Mr. Blackman worked with HR on all employment matters - from hiring to contract renewals to leaves.”
“Over six years and four seasons overseeing thousands of crew, actors, and writers, Steve Blackman led The Umbrella Academy to become a beloved series with devoted fans, enthralling stories, and a dedicated team making it all possible. These allegations from a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous, and in no way reflect the collaborative, respectful, and successful working environment Mr. Blackman has cultivated.”
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