Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer have responded with contrition to accusations of verbal abuse by a former crew member, H Peytown Brown, on March 8. “I personally witnessed two men in high positions of power on that set seek out and verbally abuse multiple women,” Brown had written in her Instagram post. Although Brown, a member of the camera department, did not name the alleged abusers, she did so in response to comments to her post.
The Duffer Brothers told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement on Saturday: “We are deeply upset to learn that someone felt uncomfortable on our set. Due to the high-stress nature of production, tempers occasionally get frayed, and for that, we apologize. However, we think it is important not to mischaracterize our set, where we believe strongly in treating everyone fairly regardless of gender, orientation, race, religion, or anything else. We remain totally committed to providing a safe and collaborative working environment for everyone on our productions.”
Netflix, which has produced Stranger Things, added, “We looked into the concern that was raised when we heard of the allegation on Thursday, and found no wrongdoing. Maintaining a safe, respectful atmosphere on set is important to us, and we know it is to the Duffer Brothers as well.”