Bull boss Glenn Gordon Caron and star Freddy Rodriguez exit after CBS workplace investigation

The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter's Maureen Ryan reports that Caron, best known as the creator of Moonlighting and Medium, is out at the CBS legal drama and his overall deal with CBS Studios has ended after the studio launched an investigation into why multiple members of Bull's writing staff left after production wrapped on Season 5. Caron joined Bull as a writer/producer at the end of Season 1, becoming showrunner at the start of Season 2. CBS declined to comment on Caron's exit. CBS also declined comment on the circumstances behind Rodriguez's departure from Bull after more than 100 episodes. Ryan reports that Rodriguez's exit comes after a workplace investigation. A rep for the actor declined to comment. According to Ryan, "five past and present Bull writers who spoke with THR, but declined to be named for fear of professional repercussions, say Caron fostered a disrespectful work environment during his four-year tenure. These sources allege that he expressed opinions they perceived as callous and that it was common for him to berate the writing staff." A former Bull writer tells Ryan: "Everyone was so on edge — it felt like everyone constantly had, at the very least, a lot of anxiety." As Ryan notes, Caron is no stranger to toxic workplaces as he left Moonlighting in turmoil before the 1985-1989 dramedy ended. Melinda Hsu Taylor, a producer on Medium, also remembers the seven-season supernatural thriller series having a "toxic environment." Ryan reports that Bull's culture didn't improve after the show made headlines when The New York Times revealed in December 2018 that Eliza Dushku received a $9.5 million settlement following her allegation that Bull star Michael Weatherly sexually harassed her on set. Dushku followed up the report by writing in the Boston Globe that “Caron wrote me off the show within 48 hours of my complaints about Weatherly.” (Caron denied Dushku's allegation.) As Variety notes, Caron is now the latest in a string of CBS showrunners to step down in recent weeks over concerns with his leadership style, from The Neighborhood's Jim Reynolds to All Rise's Greg Spottiswood.