Elliot Page Wanted His ‘Umbrella Academy’ Character To Come Out As Trans. The Showrunner’s Response? “Oh My F***ing God. Kill Me Now.”

The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman responded to a damning report from Rolling Stone that details complaints from 12 former writers and support staffers who claim Blackman fostered a hostile work environment behind the scenes.

Blackman issued a statement through his rep to RS, effectively shutting down all of the claims detailed in the extensive report that was published on June 30. “Over six years and four seasons overseeing thousands of crew, actors, and writers, Steve Blackman led The Umbrella Academy to become a beloved series with devoted fans, enthralling stories, and a dedicated team making it all possible,” the statement said.

It continued, “These allegations from a handful of disgruntled employees are completely false and outrageous, and in no way reflect the collaborative, respectful, and successful working environment Mr. Blackman has cultivated.”

The report from RS points to a HR complaint filed in January 2023 that claimed Blackman had a “long history of toxic, bullying, manipulative, and retaliatory behavior.” The complaint features at least five instances in which Blackman allegedly retaliated against writers and crew members on the show, including his former co-showrunner Jesse McKeown.

McKeown attested that he witnessed Blackman’s retaliatory behavior in real time.

“I always sort of carried that around thinking, ‘OK, that was clear retaliation, [but] he would never do that to me.’ It happened to me eventually, and a whole bunch of other people in between,” he said.

In one instance, a female writing duo was let go after one of the writers gave birth and took maternity leave about a month in. Blackman’s spokesperson claimed the decision not to extend their contract was “solely based on performance and budget,” but a writer from that season claimed Blackman said “he fired them because one was pregnant and didn’t tell him.”

In another instance, the complaint revealed that two members of the writing team and an actress on the show had a private conversation in which they all expressed their frustrations with Blackman regarding her storyline. When Blackman later caught wind of the conversation, he allegedly demanded to know the details of their conversation, though one of them refused to share that information.

In text messages included in the complaint, Blackman told another crew member, “She’s done.” The staffer was not invited back for the following season.

The HR complaint also included text messages from Blackman in which he complained about Elliot Page‘s interest in having his character transition on the show, a move that Page once praised Blackman for championing.

“Elliot wants to come out as trans on the show. As Ivan. Oh my fucking God. Kill me now,” the text messages from Blackman read. But the showrunner claimed the comments were regarding “his stress level related to this and other responsibilities of managing a show and a large team.”

According to sources who spoke to RS, Blackman was known for making transphobic, homophobic, and misogynistic comments at work. An internal investigation conducted by Universal Content Productions, the production company behind The Umbrella Academy, also found that “it was more likely than not that Steve made inappropriate and unprofessional remarks” about staffers and “used foul or derogatory language.”

One source who worked on Season 1 said, “From the get-go, it was one of the worst jobs I’ve ever had in my life.”

Blackman has had a lucrative and successful run at Netflix. The Umbrella Academy was the third most-watched series on Netflix when it debuted in 2019. In 2020, Blackman signed a $50 million development deal with the streamer.

McKeown reflected on Blackman’s continued success at Netflix considering the number of complaints that have been made against the showrunner.

“You see why these things go away,” he said. “The executives at UCP didn’t want to deal with it. It felt like the people at Netflix didn’t want to deal with it.… Nobody wants to deal with this.”

The damning report comes just weeks before The Umbrella Academy returns with its fourth and final season Aug. 8.