Daniel Stern Recalls Being a Whistleblower Who Reported Harassment Allegations on '90s Sitcom

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By Nicki Gostin

Daniel Stern remembers his time as a whistleblower on a '90s sitcom.

In his new memoir, “Home and Alone,” the actor talks about how he was initially thrilled to sign on to star in “Partners” in 1999. Unfortunately, the series fell apart amid accusations of sexual harassment and of a multi-million dollar lawsuit. against the “Home Alone” star.

“They offered me a lot of money, made me executive producer… they had a big name director, Brett Ratner, and we cast some great actors, including Jeremy Piven,” he recalls in his book, reiterating that he originally had high hopes for the series.

Stern alleges that shortly after he began filming the pilot, women on set began confiding in him, claiming that “Brett and Jeremy were sexually harassing them and they were scared.”

'Breaking Away' star claims he spoke to other executive producers about what he heard, but was allegedly advised to 'just keep quiet about it' because they would 'take care of it' .

Stern writes that he was eventually called into a meeting with big names at Columbia TV who were reportedly upset with him for raising his concerns. According to his account, they thought the show had a good chance of being picked up and didn't want any controversy to harm the show.

As he was leaving, Stern claims a producer pulled him aside and yelled, “Don't say a word to anyone or we'll sue you!”

Stern claims he was specifically told not to tell then-CBS CEO Les Moonves, who resigned in 2018 amid sexual harassment allegations.

However, days before CBS revealed its lineup, a producer reportedly called Stern furiously – falsely accusing the actor of leaving a message for Moonves that he didn't want to do the show.

When the show wasn't picked up, Columbia TV sued “The Wonder Years” alumnus for $25 million for allegedly “sabotaging the show.”

After spending a fortune on lawyers, a settlement was reached. The actor was to return the money he was paid for the show and the lawsuit would be dropped.

“It was a terrifying experience,” the “Diner” star exclusively told Page Six. “What was happening was unimaginable. I felt like I was in quicksand. What started out as a wonderful thing, simply turned sour. »

Stern noted that the debacle hurt his career and left him feeling “embarrassed” and “scared of the industry” in some ways.

“It wore off relatively quickly,” he explained, “but I felt changed.”

“The Wonder Years” alum admitted he still has no idea what really happened, but wrote in his book: “Thank God for the MeToo movement. And Fk Brett Ratner, Fk Jeremy Piven Fk Les Moonves and Fk that Columbia executive!

Representatives for Piven and Ratner did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment.

As Page Six previously reported, three women accused Piven of sexual misconduct in 2018.

Meanwhile, Olivia Munn claimed Ratner masturbated in front of her on a film set in 2004, while Moonves allegedly tried to mislead CBS by hiding evidence of his sexual misconduct in 2018.

Piven has categorically denied any allegations of inappropriate behavior and called himself “collateral damage” of the #MeToo movement. Ratner has also denied all allegations made against him in the past.