Jana Kramer Reveals Icky Interaction With One Tree Hill Boss - As Co-Star Reveals She Was 'In Denial' About Alleged On-Set Harassment

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Barbara Alyn Woods had no idea what the younger women on One Tree Hill were going through while working on the set of the hit television show back in the 2000s.

As you will no doubt recall if you’re a fan of OTH, Barbara — who is now 63 — played Deb Scott, the mother of actor James Lafferty‘s character Nathan Scott, during the show’s nine-season run from 2003 to 2012. And as you’ll unfortunately also recall about that show, back in 2017, television writers along with OTH cast and crew members came forward to accuse creator Mark Schwahn of inappropriate on-set behavior and sexual harassment.

And that alleged harassment — which a 2017 open letter claimed was an “open secret” among the young female cast members who suffered through it back in the day — was a topic of discussion on Jana Kramer‘s latest Whine Down podcast. Her show’s brand-new episode debuted this week, and Woods joined as the guest.

During her chat with Kramer, Barbara revealed that she had no idea the harassment had been going on while the show was being filmed — and certainly not to the degree to which so many women later accused Schwahn. Woods began by admitting:

“I didn’t know half the stuff. I didn’t know any of the stuff that was going on, on the show, and I wish I had been there. And I’ve already offered many apologies to my costars. I feel like I could have made a difference. Because I like being a sounding board, I have a good ear, and it just broke my heart when I heard that.”

She then darkly quipped that she wasn’t involved in the drama because she was seen as being “130 years old” in the eyes of the alleged serial sexual harasser, which, ugh.

And although neither she nor Jana mentioned Schwahn by name during the podcast, it was definitely clear which allegations they were referring to the entire time. For her part, Woods continued reflecting on how much of a blind spot the whole situation was for her back then. And she also shared her regret over enjoying the production so much without knowing the truth:

“It didn’t happen to me, so I was just oblivious to everything. So, I think that’s the worst part of it, because, honestly, I don’t have anything bad to say while I was on the show. It was such a great experience for me.”

Kramer, on the other hand, was extremely deferential and apologetic to Woods — as the country singer should have been! Jana told the older actress not to “beat yourself up” over being unaware about the alleged harassment.

Jana also told a really disturbing story, too. On the pod, Kramer recalled the moment when Schwahn told her that she’d be a series regular on the show by… allegedly sending along a really sketch text message. Jana recalled:

“He said, ‘I’m flying you out to New York. You’re going to become a series regular. Can’t wait to celebrate. Maybe I’ll come to your room.’ And I remember calling my boyfriend at the time, going, ‘I need you to get to New York, because I don’t know what to do when he …’ And so, my boyfriend flew to New York for that, to be there.”

Yikes…

Kramer, who portrayed Alex Dupre on the hit show, recalled this about what the still-unnamed Schwahn did after her boyfriend showed up:

“He went on to someone else in the cast.”

Ugh. Jana also reflected on how much it weighed on her at the time — and for years after — that she might have been picked to star in the show for reasons other than her acting abilities:

“I think that piece kind of wrestled with me a little bit because, would you have hired me if I was married? Maybe not. Probably not.”

Oof.

In the end, Woods admitted that had she known what was going on at the time, she still “probably could not have made a difference” with the deck so severely stacked against the women on set. But still, she shared her regret for not acting more like a “mother figure” to the younger women involved in the production. Woods concluded:

“When all this came out later, I was in denial. I couldn’t believe it happened because I thought I would have known.”

So sad.

We continue to feel so awful for the women on that set who had to endure all of that alleged harassment. And also for Woods, now, too, for not knowing about all the awful stuff that reportedly went on until it was too late. Ugh!!

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.

[Image via FayesVision/MEGA/WENN]