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Stranger Things’ Duffer Brothers Accused of ‘Verbal Abuse’ By Former Crew Member

Photo: Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Choosing to add her voice to the #MeToo movement, a former crew member on Netflix’s Stranger Things has accused the show’s creators and showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer, of on-set abuse. Per screenshots obtained by Deadline, in a now-deleted Instagram post staffer Peyton Brown — who will not return to work on season 3 of the series — said the brothers were frequently prone to threatening and yelling at crew members. “I personally witnessed two men in high positions of power on that set seek out and verbally abuse multiple women,” she wrote, confirming in the comment section that the men she was referring to were the Duffers. “I promised myself that if I were ever in a situation to say something that I would. I have 11.5 thousand followers who can hear me say this, time is up. Women in the film industry are powerful.

A day after Brown’s post was posted and subsequently deleted, the brothers gave a statement to Deadline. “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,” they said. “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.” In a separate statement, Netflix said it “looked into” Brown’s claim and found “no wrongdoing.”

Stranger Things’ Duffer Brothers Accused of Verbal Abuse