Wendi McLendon-Covey Slams Jeff Garlin's Claim Bipolar Disorder Made Him 'Mean' on 'The Goldbergs'

Wendi McLendon-Covey is disputing how her former The Goldbergs costar Jeff Garlin has explained his previously aggressive behavior on set.

Previously, Garlin attributed it to an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. McLendon-Covey, who played matriarch Beverly Goldberg on all ten seasons of the ABC sitcom, responded to Garlin's recent comments to The Daily Beast's "Obsessed" podcast on social media (via Entertainment Weekly), referencing the many others who worked on the show.

McLendon-Covey first responded to a clip pulled from the podcast and posted to Instagram with one simple comment that read: "Huh."

She then continued to elaborate to fan inquiries regarding her statement, saying there are many people who worked on the show who share similar memories of working on it with her, unlike Garlin's portrayal.

“Let’s just say I remember things very differently, as does the crew, the other actors, the writers, and our executives," she wrote.

This was one of relatively few responses from McLendon-Covey regarding the issue. While McLendon-Covey has generally avoided speaking about the details of Garlin's departure in interviews, she did tell Andy Cohen previously on his SiriusXM radio program in 2024 that his 2021 exit was "a long time coming."

In addition, she mentioned in the interview that she was "exhausted by everything" and did not wish to discuss it further.

Garlin gave his side of events before McLendon-Covey had responded. During the episode, Garlin linked his behavior to a mental health condition that he said hadn't been previously diagnosed.

"I actually empathize with [McLendon-Covey] because, at the time, I was undiagnosed bipolar," Garlin said. "I was miserable on the show, and I was miserable with my performance. And she was always trying to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re really great on the show.’ I didn’t believe her. I just got to the point where I had to quit, and she was very resentful."

He added that being bipolar left him in one of three states, either withdrawn and silent, manic, or in his words, "really, really mean."

According to Garlin, he wasn't officially diagnosed until he was 59, nearing the end of his tenure on the show, and he eventually said he "had to quit," which he says resulted in anger and resentment from his costar.

Garlin's comments revisit his exit from the series, which generated controversy when it occurred. In December 2021, Garlin departed The Goldbergs amid allegations of inappropriate on-set conduct. Reports indicated that complaints were filed against Garlin over physical contact and jokes that made colleagues uncomfortable, prompting several human resources investigations into such claims.

At the time that these allegations were made against Garlin, he disputed the reports, maintaining that he had "always been a kind and thoughtful person."

However, Garlin admitted some friction existed on set. Garlin's character, patriarch Murray Goldberg, was written out of The Goldbergs, killed off in the story between the ninth and tenth seasons.

The Goldbergs aired for 10 seasons, from 2013 to 2023. It depicted an American family living through the decade of the 1980s. Other major cast members include Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, Hayley Orrantia and the late George Segal. The narrator of the series, as the grown-up version of the main character, is portrayed by Patton Oswalt.

Since their time as co-leads of The Goldbergs, both McLendon-Covey and Garlin have remained active. McLendon-Covey, as well as being best known for Bridesmaids, has starred in additional shows including Reno 911!, and currently stars in the NBC comedy St. Denis Medical.

Similarly, Garlin continues to appear in various roles, including his long-running role in Curb Your Enthusiasm and providing voices for characters in the Toy Story films.