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Fired showrunner made 'MacGyver' star Lucas Till suicidal on set

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Actor Lucas Till suffered so much alleged abuse from fired MacGyver showrunner Peter Lenkov, he was suicidal on set.

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Lenkov was fired from a string of CBS shows earlier this month following complaints about his behaviour, and now his 29-year-old MacGyver leading man is speaking out, revealing the way his former TV boss treats people is “unacceptable”.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, the actor says, “I’ve never worked this hard in my life, and I am fine with hard work… I was suicidal that first year on the show, because of the way he (Lenkov) made me feel. But the way he’s treated the people around me — that’s just my breaking point.”

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Till claims he was often subjected to remarks about his body, which prompted him to write a five-page letter to the head of human resources at CBS.

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“There was always something about my appearance that wouldn’t please him, like when I was in a hospital gown…,” the actor recalls. “He said my legs were ‘f**king hideous’ and we can never show them again. Honestly, I found some humour in that comment as well, but you can imagine if that was a more sensitive spot that he had hit, and often did.

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“Just like the time he screamed at (a director), ‘Oh, my f**king God! Tuck his shirt in, he looks like a little f**king boy…!’ I’ve struggled with maintaining ‘man weight’ on the show because of the stress, no time to work out, and an unpredictable schedule for proper nourishment.”

Following Lenkov’s dismissal, CBS released a statement which read: “Over the past year, we have assigned human resource production partners to every show, expanded staff training and increased reporting options. We will continue to evolve our practices with continued focus on building trust with all who work on our sets.

“Every complaint is taken seriously, every claim is investigated, and when evidence is clear that policies were violated and values not upheld, we take decisive action.”

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Lenkov has denied Till’s claims about his behaviour.

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter Lenkov was accused of manipulative and abusive treatment of staff on both Magnum P.I. and MacGyver.

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He issued a public apology following his dismissal, which read: “Now is the time to listen and I am listening. It’s difficult to hear that the working environment I ran was not the working environment my colleagues deserved, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I accept responsibility for what I am hearing and am committed to doing the work that is required to do better and be better.”

In light of Lenkov’s exit, executive producers Monica Macer and Eric Guggenheim have been promoted to showrunners on their respective series, MacGyver and Magnum P.I.

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