Jason Bateman ‘incredibly embarrassed' after brushing aside Jeffrey Tambor's behavior on ‘Arrested Development' set

Jason Bateman said he's “incredibly embarrassed” after he staunchly defended Jeffrey Tambor's behavior on the “Arrested Development” set before co-star Jessica Walter could share her side of the story.

Walter choked back tears during a recent cast interview with The New York Times as she opened up about an incident where she says Tambor verbally harassed her on set. Before she got the chance to speak up, however, Bateman had already tried to explain that it's common to work with “difficult” people in the entertainment industry.

“I'm incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry to have done that to Jessica,” Bateman tweeted Thursday morning. “This is a big learning moment for me. I shouldn't have tried so hard to mansplain, or fix a fight, or make everything okay. I should've focused more on what the most important part of it all is - there's never any excuse for abuse, in any form, from any gender. And, the victim's voice needs to be heard and respected. Period.”

Bateman, who was widely condemned online after the interview was published, wrote in his apology that he was “so eager” to support Tambor in his return to the show that he “completely underestimated the feelings of the victim, another person I deeply love - and she was sitting right there!”

Tambor returns to “Arrested Development” after he was fired from another show, “Transparent,” after being accused of sexual misconduct. The actor has denied the allegation, but recently admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that he had been “difficult” and “mean” on set and had yelled at people involved with the show.

He also acknowledged he once had a “blowup” with Walter, which led to them discussing the incident with The Times. In that interview, Tambor said he was dealing with his past behavior..

“Not to belittle it or excuse it or anything, but in the entertainment industry it is incredibly common to have people who are, in quotes, ‘difficult,” Bateman then said, noting that people in charge of casting regularly make phone calls to learn more an actor's behavior.

“It's a very amorphous process, this sort of (expletive) that we do, you know, making up fake life,” Bateman continued. “It's a weird thing, and it is a breeding ground for atypical behavior and certain people have certain processes.”

Walter finally addressed the issue, saying through tears that she was ready to “let go of being angry” at Tambor.

“He never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever. Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize. I have to let it go,” she said.

“But it's hard because honestly - Jason says this happens all the time. In like almost 60 years of working, I've never had anybody yell at me like that on a set.”

In his apology Thursday, Bateman said he's “horrified” that he didn't realize how much the incident impacted Walter, who plays his mother on “Arrested Development.”