A 'Silicon Valley' Actor's New Claims About TJ Miller's Alleged Harassment Are Disturbing

Since TJ Miller has left Silicon Valley, rumors of his alleged bad behavior on set, which reportedly included coming to work late and intoxicated, as well as presenting a generally unsavory attitude, have risen. And now, his alleged behavior is under new scrutiny after Silicon Valley actor Alice Wetterlund accused Miller of being a "bully" in a series of tweets. Wetterlund played engineer Carla Walton in six episodes spanning the HBO series' Season 2 and 3. Speaking via social media Tuesday, Wetterlund claimed that working alongside TJ Miller was "kind of a nightmare," calling the show's former star a "bully." In addition, Watterlund took aim at the "almost all male" cast and crew, accusing those in power of enabling Miller's alleged behavior.

Bustle has reached out to representatives for Miller for comment, but has not received a response. However, Bustle received the following statement from HBO:

"While this is the first time we have heard Alice Wetterlund comment on her experiences on Silicon Valley, we are disappointed to learn of her concerns. HBO and the producers have always taken very seriously our responsibility to create a welcoming and congenial environment for everyone who works on the show."

When Wetterlund appeared on the show, Miller was still starring on Silicon Valley. For four seasons, he played erratic software designer Erlich Bachman, before departing the show on strange terms in June 2017. In a conversation with Vulture, the 37-year-old revealed that after being offered a reduced contract for Season 5, he'd elected to leave on his own terms, but rumors of behind-the-scenes conflict persisted.

Since then, he's faced more than his share of controversy, including the resurfacing of accusations of sexual assault against him made during his time in college. As a result, he's largely stayed out of the public eye in recent months, and Wetterlund appears to have tweeted about her time on Silicon Valley in response to reports that Miller was being welcomed back in Hollywood. "Yes! It is definitely time to rehabilitate TJ Miller’s career!" Wetterlund wrote facetiously in a tweet published July 17. She continued in the same vein: "We can’t afford to lose talent at a time like this, we need more—not less—comedic hijinks such as *checks notes* calling in a fake bomb threat."

Wetterlund is referring to an ongoing case against Miller which centers around a fake bomb threat that the comedian called in in March, accusing a fellow Amtrak passenger of having an explosive in her bag. The hoax caused massive delays and led to Miller's arrest on a federal criminal complaint that accuses the comedian of “intentionally conveying to law enforcement false information about an explosive device on a train traveling to Connecticut," per the Los Angeles Times.

Miller also stands accused of sexual assault and punching a woman with whom he attended college. Allegations which he vehemently denied via an Instagram post. He has since been accused of sending a transphobic, misgendering email to a critic, and of sexual harassment of adult film star Dana DeArmond, as reported by Vulture. (Miller has yet to respond to the latter two allegations.)

In short, the allegations against him are myriad, and they carry a lot of similarities to Wetterlund's story of her own experience. What's new is the suggestion that Miller's behavior was not only endured by those around him, but also enabled. When pressed about her original tweet by a fan who was confused about whether Wetterlund was criticizing or defending Miller, she elaborated. "I hope to not ruin it for you, but TJ Miller was a bully and petulant brat," she wrote, "And pretty much everyone who had any power on that (almost all male) set, including the male cast members, enabled him and were complicit in his unprofessionalism. They can f*ck off forever."

These tweets are particularly discouraging because they shed light on a situation that's been cropping up more and more in the #MeToo movement: you can remove the individual from the position of power, but what about the environment that brought him such success in the first place? That's the real issue that needs to be addressed going forward, so kudos to Wetterlund for bringing it up, and for helping to continue this important conversation.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.