Former employees have accused “The Umbrella Academy” showrunner Steve Blackman of fostering a toxic work environment, demanding retaliation, taking credit for other people’s work and making offensive comments, including one about Elliot Page, according to a Rolling Stone investigation.
Blackman has denied the allegations.
“These allegations from a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous, and in no way reflect the collaborative, respectful and successful work environment that Mr. Blackman has cultivated,” a spokesman for Mr. Blackman said in a statement to The Times on Monday.
Rolling Stone interviewed 12 writers and support staff members (most of whom requested anonymity because they feared “professional retaliation”) and reviewed a January 2023 human resources complaint against Blackman. The article did not specify who filed the complaint.
An investigation into the complaint, which was filed with Universal Content Productions, concluded in May 2023 and cleared Blackman of most allegations, including that he had a “long history of toxic, harassing, manipulative and vindictive behavior,” according to Rolling Stone.
However, the investigation found that Blackman had sent inappropriate text messages.
“The only substantiated allegation involved inappropriate text messages between Mr. Blackman and a senior colleague he considered a close friend for years,” the showrunner’s spokesperson said. “The colleague, Jesse McKeown, responded in kind. Following the conclusion of the investigation into the only allegation against Mr. Blackman that simply corroborated inappropriate text messages with a colleague he considered a friend, he was reminded not to treat employees as friends given his position as showrunner.”
Representatives for McKeown did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
In one of the texts filed in the complaint to Human Resources, Blackman wrote about Page's transition and how he would handle himself on screen, Rolling Stone reported.
“Elliot wants to come out as trans on the show,” the caption reportedly read. “Like Ivan. Oh my god. Kill me now.”
Actor Elliot Page has praised his showrunner's handling of his character's transition in “Umbrella Academy.”
(Ryan Pfluger/For The Times)
Ultimately, “The Umbrella Academy” made Elliot’s character trans and renamed him Viktor instead of Vanya. Blackman’s spokesperson said the showrunner was “immensely proud” of the storyline and that the writing was meant to reflect his stress at the time, given that the season “had already been written and the writers’ room had disbanded.”
“Faced with an enormous task – a complete rewrite in an extremely tight timeframe and the responsibility to handle this with sensitivity and care – Blackman commented on his level of stress related to this and other responsibilities of managing a show and a team,” the spokesperson said. “Elliot never asked for the show’s history to be published – that was Blackman’s decision, he consulted with experts and stands by it all.”
Representatives for Page did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. In previous interviews, the “Inception” star has praised Blackman, who signed a roughly $50 million deal with Netflix in 2020, for his support throughout the transition process.
Last year, The Times' Amy Kaufman wrote that Blackman had said he would “set the wheels in motion” to add Viktor's storyline while Page was recovering from top surgery, a process that began three months before filming on the third season of “The Umbrella Academy” began.
Blackman hired Thomas Page McBee, a trans man who had worked with Page on 2019’s “Tales of the City,” to rewrite the scripts and work with the actor to create an authentic story.
The complaint accuses Blackman of retaliating against employees. McKeown told Rolling Stone that she had experienced (and witnessed) retaliation after defending a writer in a salary dispute.
The complaint said Blackman failed to extend the contract of a writing duo after one of the women went on maternity leave a month into the “Umbrella” concert.
“No writers have been fired from the show,” the spokesperson said. “The decision not to renew these writers’ contracts was based solely on performance and budget, and allegations to the contrary are completely false. To ensure everything was handled fairly, appropriately, and in full compliance with all policies and regulations, Mr. Blackman worked with Human Resources on all employment matters, from hiring to contract renewals to leaves of absence.”
“Umbrella” crew members and writers told Rolling Stone that Blackman used their work without crediting them, despite promises he made. Blackman’s spokesperson said those were “mischaracterizations and outlandish mischaracterizations” and that the showrunner wanted to support “up-and-coming writers.”
“At times, he would do rewrites or ask more experienced writers to rewrite scripts that needed additional polishing, as is customary,” the spokesperson said. “Indeed, Mr. Blackman went out of his way to support his hard-working team during the show and beyond to help them grow and give them opportunities. Not only was each writer given at least one episode of the show, but he also took the extra step of assigning writing duties to support staff to help them advance their careers and join the WGA.” [Writers Guild of America].”
