'Umbrella Academy' Showrunner Steve Blackman Is Every Bad Boss Ever

Steve Blackman, showrunner of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, is the subject of the latest Rolling Stone on-set environment exposé, which details allegations of him creating a “toxic and bullying environment” and discriminating against women. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Blackman co-created the series based on the comic book series by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. In the report, Blackman is accused by 12 anonymous sources of bullying, harassing, and degrading behavior. He is also said to have fired a female writer after she’d left for maternity leave, going against her contract. There was an HR complaint made in 2023 that described him as “Insulting staff in private after praising them publicly, using their ideas, then giving them no credit or belittling tactics.” There are also accusations of “lewd, sexist behavior” including texts commenting on female employees’ bodies and “inappropriate and unprofessional remarks” using “foul and derogatory language” on set. There was an HR probe at the time, but that didn’t go anywhere.

Blackman responded to the exposé via his representative. Their very humble statement reads:

“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. 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.”

Mr. Blackman sounds like every bad boss I’ve ever had who doesn’t realize that “a handful of disgruntled employees” is not normal and means you’re doing something wrong. He might as well have said, “You just can’t find good help these days!”

The final season of The Umbrella Academy drops on Netflix on August 8th.