Fred Willard Fired as PBS Narrator After Arrest on Suspicion of Lewd Conduct

Fred Willard was fired as narrator of the Public Broadcasting Service series Market Warriors following his arrest on so his presence would not "become a distraction," PBS President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Kerger said Saturday.

Williard, an actor, comedian and who starred in such films as Best in Show and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and acted in , was arrested Wednesday night in a Hollywood theater on suspicion of engaging in a lewd act, police said.

"When it became known we realized that we had to move fast because we're taping now," Kerger said during PBS' portion of the Television Critics Association summer press tour at The Beverly Hilton. "Our concern really was that his circumstances had become a distraction to the series."

PBS officials talked to Willard and then decided on Thursday, the day Willard's arrest became known publicly, that Antiques Roadshow host Mark L. Walberg would replace Willard as the narrator "to link the two shows together," Kerger said.

The two series come from the same producers. Market Warriors, which premiered Monday, has expert shoppers scour flea markets across the nation to purchase items with a set amount of money and use their knowledge and skills to see who can make the most profit at auction.

Willard, 72, was arrested around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday by uniformed vice officers doing a routine inspection at the Tiki Theater in the 5400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, said Sgt. Tim Jenneman of the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Station.

"Officers observed actor Fred Willard inside the location engaged in a lewd act," he said. No one other than Willard was reported to have been involved in the act.

Willard was released about 5:35 a.m. Thursday on $500 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The actor's attorney, Paul Takakjian, released a statement denying that Willard did anything wrong.

"With all due respect to the individual officer, our belief is that Fred did nothing in any violation of any law," Takakjian said. "We will be working vigorously to clear his name in this matter."

Willard can sign up for a $380 "pre-filing diversion program" to avoid criminal prosecution, Frank Mateljan of the City Attorney's Office told the Los Angeles Times.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified PBS President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Kerger.