Lucas Till opened up about the toxic environment at MacGyver set under executive producer Peter Lenkov. He revealed that the recently fired MacGyver EP created a toxic environment that drove him to feel suicidal.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Till admitted that he was subjected to bullying, verbal abuse, and body-shaming by Lenkov. The 29-year-old actor said he struggled to work especially during the first season of MacGyver because of the way Lenkov mistreated him.
Till said he's fine working hard on the show but the way their EP treated people is unacceptable. The actor plays the titular character, Angus MacGyver a.k.a. Mac in the CBS series.
According to the Vanity Fair report, Till reported in writing to CBS Human Resources his body-shaming complaint against Lenkov. The X-Men: Apocalypse actor recalled one particular scene when he was in a hospital gown and Lenkov, blatantly, said how hideous his legs look like.
He added that the former boss of MacGyver also once got mad because his shirt wasn't tucked in and that he looked like a kid. Till explained that at the time it was hard for him to work out and put some muscle because of stress and their unpredictable schedule.
Lenkov's attorney Dale Kinsella denied Till's accusations, saying it's 100 percent false and untrue. He added that the former showrunner "championed" Lucas from the very beginning of the CBS show and he has nothing but supportive of the actor.
Lenkov responded to the claims against him and apologized that the cast members felt they worked in a toxic environment. He vowed to do better.
CBS Television Studios cut ties with Lenkov earlier this month following an investigation into a complaint about a toxic environment on MacGyver. Aside from Lucas Till-led series, Lenkov was also fired from Magnum P.I., the other TV show that he developed and executive produced. The studio terminated all of its dealings with Lenkov, saying they are committed to ensuring safe and respectful production environments in all of its shows.
CBS Television Studios noted that they are taking every complaint seriously and investigated all of it. When evidence and the investigation showed that there was a violation of their policies, they would take decisive action.
Meanwhile, MacGyver Season 4 wrapped up in May. It was originally commissioned for 19 episodes but due to COVID-19 pandemic, its production was suspended. Six episodes were left unaired.
The series was renewed for another season in May. However, there is still no word when the new season will start filming.
