Who is Youngjoo Hwang? All about The Grinder crew member who accused Fred Savage of abuse

Youngjoo Hwang's lawyer is weighing in on Fred Savage being fired from The Wonder Years reboot.

The Grinder's costumer's attorney, Anahita Seda, told Page Six on May 9, 2022, that Savage being axed from the reboot was “a long time coming,” referencing his years-long alleged misconduct. Savage was fired as an executive producer and director of the reboot for his alleged violent outbursts and wrongful behavior.

Us Weekly has reported that Seda, who represented Hwang when she sued the actor in 2018, alleged that he physically assaulted her while on the set of the Fox sitcom, though the case was settled in April of the following year. Seda said:

“I am not the least bit surprised. When my client came to me in 2018 with her allegations against Mr. Savage, we discovered that there was at least one lawsuit that had been filed against him in the past and that Mr. Savage had allegedly engaged in this type of behavior not just towards my client but other women as well. It is unfortunate that it took my client speaking out and now reportedly these others before action was finally taken.”

Youngjoo Hwang, who sued the actor for assault, battery, gender discrimination, and gender harassment, is a costume designer. As per IMDB, she is credited with working on Beef (2023), 22 Jump Street (2014), and Rim of the World (2019).

As per USA Today, she was tasked with curating Fred Savage's wardrobe while working on the 20th Century Fox Television series. In March 2018, she spoke to reporters about the alleged assault, noting that Fred Savage was aggressive towards her from the "outset of the show." She said:

"He would routinely curse at me, yell at me (and) demean me when all I was trying to do was my job. It became more and more stressful for me to go to work because I was scared of the abuse and what I would encounter on any given day."

Hwang also claimed that his behavior was notorious on set, recalling an incident where she tried to brush off the dandruff on his jacket while filming, only for him to allegedly snap and yell at her.

"[Savage] told me not to touch him and hit my arm violently three times."

The costumer said she was advised against complaining about him because "a lot of people would lose their jobs and I would never work in this industry again."

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Fred Savage defends himself from claims of aggressive behavior

Page Six reported in April 2019 that the lawsuit was dismissed, citing a quote from Seda who said that they were "very pleased with the resolution." While she did not provide further details, she did assert that her client felt "empowered" by the settlement.

“My hope is that by her speaking out, other women who have been victims of abuse of power will find the courage to do the same.”

She continued:

“We are in a #metoo era and while we still have a long way to go, we are finally seeing progress and I will continue to do my part to help victims seek justice.”

Fred Savage had long maintained his innocence, and in a statement to USA Today, Fox backed him up. In 2018, a statement from the entity read as:

"Fox takes all allegations of improper conduct very seriously. We conducted a thorough investigation into these allegations and found no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Savage. We will vigorously defend against these unfounded claims."

However, Anahita Seda rubbished the claim that Fox executed an investigation. Nonetheless, in a statement to USA Today, Savage said that Hwang's claims were "absolutely untrue."

“As someone who has always tried to live honorably and with integrity, it never dawned on me that my name could be on the other side."

He continued:

"I was made aware that a woman working in the costume department of a show I was on almost three years ago has claimed that I treated her harshly on set simply because she was a woman. These accusations are completely without merit and absolutely untrue."

He also said that the investigation conducted by Fox proved that

"None of (Hwang's) claims could be substantiated because they did not happen. I have been working in the entertainment industry my whole life and have always endeavored to treat everyone on any set I work on respectfully and professionally."

A May 2022 statement from 20th Television to Deadline about Savage's behavior reads as follows:

“Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of The Wonder Years.”

As of this writing, Fred Savage himself has yet to address the accusations.

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