Actor Fred Willard Fired By PBS After Lewd Conduct Arrest

PBS dropped Fred Willard as the narrator of its new antiques series Thursday in the wake of the actor's arrest for lewd conduct at an adult theater in Hollywood.

"Given the the unfortunate news reported today, effective immediately, Fred Willard no longer will be involved with the 'Market Warrior' series," the network said in a statement.

The program, a spinoff of the PBS' popular "Antiques Roadshow," premiered last week. Willard's voice will be removed from the remaining episodes, and "Antiques Roadshow" host Mark Walberg will re-record them.

Willard, 72, was arrested Wednesday night and booked on suspicion of lewd conduct at the Tiki Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, police said Thursday.

His attorney, Paul Takakjian, was quoted by a website owned by USA Today as saying that Willard had broken no laws. However, he later told NBC4 that he was "in the process of gathering facts on the case," and had no further comment.

The 72-year-old Willard, who appeared in such films as “Best in Show” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” was released on his own recognizance, LAPD Sgt. Chuck Slater told NBC4.

Vice officers arrested Willard at about 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Slater said.

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