Special Victims Unit showrunner faces troubling allegations

After David Graziano became showrunner for Law & Order: SVU, newly hired script coordinator Hayley Cameron quit. When the job was posted on the mailing list shortly after, Cameron decided to warn prospective applicants. “New showrunner David Graziano is a very unprofessional, self-centered and immature person,” she wrote. “I’ve been in this industry for a long time and I’ve never encountered such pure misogyny from white men.” Haley went on to state that the production under Graziano was “an absolute disorganized nightmare. I urge you – especially women – to think twice before putting yourself in a position that could end as badly as mine.” Los Angeles Times).

Cameron did not provide details, but Graziano’s spokesman, Alafair Hall, released a statement saying, in part, “The suggestion that Mr. Graziano has created a hostile work environment or engages in s*xism is inappropriate and unprofessional is false.” Following Cameron’s comments, others who claim to have worked with Graziano in the past have also spoken out, either commenting on the mailing position or speaking anonymously to The Los Angeles Times.

Although neither Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay nor executive producer/writer Julie Martin have yet commented on the situation, Graziano admitted he was “difficult to work with” on his past series Coyote, but denied that he made unprofessional comments. “Real change comes hard, and I continue to work on myself daily,” he said (via Los Angeles Times).