Zosia Mamet Quits Mad Men After Showrunner Berates Her

Actress Zosia Mamet has revealed in her essay collection Does This Make Me Funny? that she quit the acclaimed TV series Mad Men at age 19 due to abusive treatment by the show's creator and showrunner, Matthew Weiner. Mamet recounted an incident during a blocking rehearsal where Weiner repeatedly berated her for how she removed photos from an envelope, escalating from raised voices to full-out screaming for about half an hour while no one intervened. This experience followed an earlier traumatic event on set where her hair was forcibly cut into a short bob with a straight razor without prior notice. Mamet described how the intense and volatile presence of the showrunner cast a cold atmosphere over the set and led to her decision to leave, despite initially enjoying the role. The revelation adds to previous allegations of Weiner's abusive behavior toward staff, supporting accounts of his misuse of power on the show. Mamet also expressed a complex mix of resentment and compassion toward Weiner, noting his subsequent decline in career prominence.