Fred Willard fired by PBS after arrest, denies wrongdoing

My Fox Spokane Biz
Fred Willard fired by PBS after arrest, denies wrongdoing

By Kate Stanhope,

Following his arrest Wednesday in Los Angeles on a charge of lewd conduct, Fred Willard has been relieved of his narrating duties for the PBS show Market Warriors, The New York Times reports.

"Given the unfortunate news reported today, effective immediately, Fred Willard no longer will be involved with the Market Warriors series," a spokesman for the Boston PBS station that produces the show, Jeanne Hopkins, told the newspaper. Hopkins also told the Times that Mark Walberg, who hosts the Warriors' flagship show, Antiques Roadshow, will re-voice the episodes that Willard had already taped.

Fred Willard arrested for lewd conduct

Willard, 78, was arrested Wednesday after police claimed they found the actor in a Hollywood movie theater with his penis exposed and in his hand. He was released a short time later.

Willard, however, denied wrongdoing. "With all due respect to the individual officer, our belief is that Fred did nothing in any violation of any law," his attorney, Paul Takajian, told TMZ. "We will be working vigorously to clear his name in this matter."

Catch up on today's latest news

In addition, the manager of the Tiki Theatre, which plays pornographic films, said he also did not see Willard break the law. "Police officers arrested him suspiciously,"  Kazi Jafor told E! News. "I did not see anything."

It is not yet known if ABC will air the remaining episodes of its reality series, Trust Us With Your Life, which Willard also hosts. An ABC rep could not immediately be reached.

Willard is best known for his roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films including Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show.

Do you think PBS did the right thing?

View original Fred Willard Fired by PBS After Arrest, Denies Wrongdoing at TVGuide.com

Related Articles on TVGuide.com

Fred Willard Arrested for Lewd Conduct

Other Links From TVGuide.com

Waiting For Guffman
Best In Show
Christopher Guest
Fred Willard
Mark Wahlberg
Antiques Roadshow
Trust Us With Your Life
Market Warriors

 

View the original article on TVGuide.com

 

Post new comment

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

Comments

Most Popular Stories

WATCH LIVE: Clay Starbuck Trial Happening Now; Accused Of Murdering His Ex Wife

WATCH LIVE: Clay Starbuck Trial Happening Now; Accused Of Murdering His Ex Wife
SPOKANE, Wash. – The trial of Clay Starbuck, charged with killing his ex-wife Chanin and sexually violating her remains, entered its third week Monday at the Spokane County Courthouse. Chanin Starbuck was found strangled to death in her Deer Park home in December of 2011, and Clay

Spokane Valley Police Dept: Three Separate Robberies

Spokane Valley Police Dept: Three Separate Robberies
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE SPOKANE VALLEY POLICE DEPT: Spokane Valley Sheriff's Office Detective Jack Rosenthal is investigating three separate robberies that have taken place within a short time frame in Spokane Valley. On May 13th, 16th and 21st three separate businesses in Spokane Valley

UPDATE: Longview Elementary School Stomach Illness Outbreak

UPDATE: Longview Elementary School Stomach Illness Outbreak
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE GRANT COUNTY HEALTH DEPT: MOSES LAKE, Wash. - The Grant County Health District received lab confirmation from two specimens submitted to the Washington State Public Health Lab. Both samples were positive for norovirus and came from individuals who became sick during the