HOLLYWOOD, CA — After years of silence, cast and crew from VeggieTales rocked the entertainment industry today by coming forward to accuse Bob the Tomato of creating a toxic workplace environment.
"I can no longer keep silent," said Larry the Cucumber in an exclusive sit-down. "The intimidation, the verbal abuse, the theft of personal property like hairbrushes — I just hope telling my story gives more vegetables the courage to speak out and be made whole."
According to sources, Bob the Tomato frequently belittled other members of the cast, castigating his fellow veggies for making jokes or laughing on set. "Bob once threatened physical violence against a kindly Spanish-speaking cucumber for merely saying, 'No comprendo'," said an asparagus, on condition of anonymity. "Bob tolerated absolutely no levity or silliness, which is challenging when we had a running segment literally entitled 'Silly Songs With Larry'. Even with the cameras rolling, Bob chased Larry off that set so many times, screaming threats. I don't know how the audience never picked up on what was happening."
The crew behind VeggieTales stated there were warning signs about Bob's behavior from the beginning, but they were ignored by corporate brass. "We all saw what Bob was doing from day one," said camera operator Ray the Potato. "On the very first day of shooting, Bob just kept holding that last note on the theme song until Larry passed out. Larry's laying there with a tuba around his neck, and Bob doesn't try to help - he just laughs at him. I should have spoken up right then and there, but Bob was so intimidating. I was just a little baby potato back then... I was powerless."
At publishing time, Bob the Tomato had vehemently denied the accusations, claiming the vitriol really stemmed from anti-fruit bias amongst the veggies.
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