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Arts & Entertainment

Fred Willard Says He's 'Not Guilty' Of Lewd Conduct After His Arrest In An Adult Theater

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Fred Willard says—despite what undercover LAPD vice officers say—he didn't do anything illegal while he was inside an adult theater in Hollywood last night.Willard's lawyer, Paul Takakjian, released a statement to TMZ saying, "With all due respect to the individual officer, our belief is that Fred did nothing in any violation of any law." He adds, "We will be working vigorously to clear his name in this matter."

In the meantime, PBS wasted no time dropping Willard from its programming after he was arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct at the adults-only Tiki Theater in Hollywood.

PBS execs fired Willard from his gig on "Market Warriors," according to TMZ. They are telling their affiliates in an email obtained by TMZ not to air any more episodes featuring Willard. It hasn't even been 24 hours since his arrest and TMZ says that PBS is already ironing out the details of a version of the show without the comedian.

Maybe Willard needs to call up Paul Reubens, another bowtie-wearing comedian, who managed to get an HBO show after a similar controversy (although decades later).

Related:
Fred Willard Arrested For Lewd Conduct At Hollywood Theater

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