“To their credit, I was contacted within hours,” one says. “An investigation started immediately and he was barred from set.” On May 6, news broke that Savage had been fired as executive producer and director of the well-reviewed series, which has been renewed for a second season. A spokesman for Disney’s 20th Television cited “allegations of inappropriate conduct” but did not elaborate.

A Page Six item reported that sources close to Savage said he was “doing a lot of self-reflecting.” Savage “knows he can be an a-hole at times,” the column said. “Despite everything, we’re told Savage has had `overwhelming support’ from friends and colleagues on The Wonder Years production.”

That’s when several of the women who had reported Savage decided to talk about the issues that led them to report their allegations to Disney. “I and the other women feel that people need to know what the wrongdoing was,” says one.

She notes that Savage has withstood allegations before.

In 1993, a costumer on the original The Wonder Years sued Savage, then 16, sued for sexual harassment. The case was settled. A female crewmember on the set of Fox’s The Grinder, which ran from 2015-18, sued claiming that Savage “constantly hurled profanities” at women employees and had shouted at and struck her during a costume fitting. Fox found no evidence of wrongdoing and the lawsuit was settled. In both cases, Savage denied wrongdoing. Despite those allegations, Savage has had a prolific career, not only acting but with directing jobs on Boy Meets World, Black-ish, The Conners, Modern Family and 2 Broke Girls, among other shows.

The women who worked on the Wonder Years reboot saw two very different sides of Savage: a charismatic, seemingly supportive colleague and a far darker, angrier alter ego.

They say he could flip to the latter persona in an instant and in such moments, one says, “His eyes would go dead.” One says Savage never engaged in such behavior in front of actors or executives. “They all see his absolute perfect, best face,” she says, but he sometimes showed a different side to “below-the-line employees who don’t have power.”

The women who contacted Disney have requested anonymity out of fear for potential damage to their careers. They say they initiated the complaint regarding conduct toward women that ranged from verbal harassment to one alleged assault of a former crewmember.

In a statement, Savage said: “Since I was 6 years old, I have worked on hundreds of sets with thousands of people, and have always strived to contribute to an inclusive, safe and supportive work environment. It is devastating to learn that there are co-workers who feel I have fallen short of these goals. While there are some incidents being reported that absolutely did not and could not have happened, any one person who feels hurt or offended by my actions is one person too many. I will work to address and change any behavior that has negatively affected anyone, as nothing in this world is more important to me than being a supportive co-worker, friend, husband, father and person.”