Law & Order: SVU showrunner accused of bullying, misogyny, and ‘toxic’ behavior

Over the course of 24 seasons, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has become one of the most popular and enduring shows on television. But the beloved cops-and-courts drama, which regularly tackles hot-button issues such as sexual violence, domestic abuse, and the exploitation of power and privilege, is now at the center of a controversy over allegations of workplace misconduct and bullying against its recently named showrunner, David Graziano.

According to a lengthy Los Angeles Times report published Thursday, the veteran writer and producer, 50, has been accused by more than a dozen people who have worked with him over the years of mistreating subordinate staffers, being volatile and quick to anger, and making inappropriate and demeaning comments toward women and people of color.

 

Haley Cameron, a script coordinator who exited SVU not long after Graziano took the helm in June, reportedly wrote on an industry listserv that her former boss “is a very unprofessional, ego-centric, and immature man.” She added, “I have been in this industry a long time, and I have never experienced such pure, white-male misogyny.” Cameron declined to comment to the Times.

Amy Hartman, who worked as a script coordinator under Graziano on the 2021 crime drama Coyote, reportedly wrote on the same listserv, “Graz is super toxic and I’ve never run from a job so fast in my life as I did when I SC’ed for him. Stay away.” Hartman told the Times of working with Graziano, “Every day I was in fight or flight.” She also said she was “completely floored that he was working again and working on [SVU].”

David James, who also worked on Coyote as a script coordinator, told the Times it was “easily the worst job I’ve had in Hollywood.” He added, “I thought after this show, no one would give [Graziano] another show to run.”

Many of the individuals who spoke to the Times did so on condition of anonymity for fear of personal or professional repercussions.