A major scandal is rocking the set of ABC’s medical drama Doctor Odyssey, as three former crew members are suing Disney and 20th Century for allegedly allowing months of sexual harassment to go unchecked—and then blacklisting them after they spoke up.
Filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the lawsuit comes from Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland, and Ava Steinbrenner, who say they endured repeated sexual misconduct on set at the hands of assistant prop master Tyler Patton. The women claim Patton made lewd jokes, gestures, and comments—plus engaged in inappropriate touching. One accusation even alleges he grabbed a visiting employee’s backside in front of others.
The lawsuit includes a disturbing example: Patton once sent a fake news story to the crew claiming President Biden had dropped out of the 2024 race. Instead, it linked to a graphic image of a nude man. He also allegedly made degrading remarks like, “Come over here and open your mouth, here’s the worm.”
Tyler’s wife, Tammie Patton, was the lead prop master on the show. The suit claims Disney and 20th Century hired him despite knowing he had been previously accused of harassment on the set of House. In that 2010 case, a male colleague said Patton groped him and made sexual advances toward women on the crew.
According to the complaint, Patton’s behavior on Doctor Odyssey was an open secret, happening regularly and even in front of management. During one confrontation, Patton allegedly told staff, “If I wasn’t f***ing the boss, I’d be fired.”
Although Patton was eventually fired after HR got involved, the plaintiffs say the retaliation didn’t stop there. Tammie Patton allegedly began threatening their jobs—and not long after, the entire props department was suddenly let go. Disney then rehired an entirely new team, which the lawsuit claims was an effort to bury the issue entirely.
The plaintiffs also say they’ve been blacklisted from industry jobs, accusing Disney of punishing them for reporting misconduct. Disney has not publicly commented on the allegations.
Doctor Odyssey has yet to be renewed for a second season and remains the only ABC scripted series with an uncertain future.
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My wife and I only watched a couple of the shows. The blatant exploitation of sexual misconduct, we found to be disgusting and offensive. Walt Disney is probably rolling over in his grave, at the way the outfit in charge has tarnished, his good name.
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