Writer Megan Ganz Confronts Dan Harmon on His Unclear Twitter Apology

By Garrett Martin  |  January 3, 2018 | 12:45pm
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Comedy News Megan Ganz
Writer Megan Ganz Confronts Dan Harmon on His Unclear Twitter Apology

Megan Ganz is an acclaimed comedy writer who has worked on some of the best sitcoms of the last decade. Before stints on It’s Always Sunny, The Last Man on Earth and Modern Family, her first major network TV job was on the writing staff of Community from 2010 to 2013, where she worked with the show’s creator, Dan Harmon (who, of course, has gone on to co-create Rick and Morty). She was perhaps the most notable Community writer to stay with the show after NBC replaced Dan Harmon before the fourth season started. And last night on Twitter she revealed that she doubted her own talent as a writer after how Harmon treated her during their time together on Community.

Ganz didn’t go into detail about what happened between the two, but Harmon acknowledged that something inappropriate did happen and apologized to Ganz. The Twitter conversation started with Ganz replying to a tweet Harmon wrote vaguely admitting to being an asshole. It’s fascinating to see this play out so publicly: Ganz is legitimately engaging with Harmon, and doesn’t accept his apology, but says she’s working towards forgiving him, for her own benefit. For his part Harmon doesn’t deny that he treated Ganz unprofessionally in some fashion (although his weak “foggy memories” claim reinforces the power imbalance between culprit and target in situations as these, as Ganz basically points out—what seems unmemorably insignificant to Harmon is something that has greatly impacted her for years), and doesn’t really resort to the kind of prevaricating non-apologies often seen in similar situations.

Splitsider points out that Ganz has written cryptic comments directed at Harmon in the past. There have been hints of tension between Harmon and Ganz for years, but this is the first real confirmation that something uncomfortable occurred between them.

Harmon developed a reputation of being somewhat hard to work with on the set of Community. His poor relationship with Chevy Chase (who has a much longer history of being hard to work with) drove the former SNL star from the show, and also to NBC firing Harmon after the third season. Harmon has been very open about his struggles with alcohol and his emotional and mental issues. That doesn’t excuse whatever might have happened between him and Ganz, of course, but those problems might have had some connection to how he treated her.

It’s Ganz’s right to reveal as little or as much about that treatment as she chooses, of course. There’s no reason to think this Twitter conversation will materially impact Harmon’s career in any way, and without more details and proof of a pattern of behavior there’s not much of a reason that it should. This sort of public, semi-respectful conversation is a valuable and fascinating look at how we’re all grappling with the reckoning that has faced men in power over the last several months, and how it’ll impact workplace dynamics going forward.

Read the full conversation below.

 
Join the discussion...