List: All of the Hollywood power players accused of sexual assault or harassment
By wmw_admin on August 20, 2019
Sam Moniuszko – USA Today Nov 2018
Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein and Dustin Hoffman have all been accused of sexual harrassment or assault. Click to enlarge
The rapid fall of media mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey following reports of sexual harassment and assault shook the entertainment world – and has prompted the airing of allegations against other Hollywood power players.
Here are the Hollywood men who have been accused of sexual assault or harassment since the Weinstein scandal broke:
Ben Affleck, 46, known for “Argo” and “Good Will Hunting,” was accused of groping MTV host Hilarie Burton during a 2003 appearance on “Total Request Live.” He issued an apology on Oct. 11, 2017, tweeting, “I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize.” His apology came a day after he condemned Weinstein’s behavior toward women.
Scott Baio, 58, former star of “Happy Days,” “Joanie Loves Chachi” and “Charles in Charge,” and one of Hollywood’s few supporters of President Donald Trump, posted a 16-minute video on Facebook Live on Jan. 27 denying a claim made by his former “Charles in Charge” co-star Nicole Eggert, 46, that something inappropriate occurred between them when she was a minor. Baio said he and Eggert had a consensual relationship when she was 18, in response to a series of tweets by Eggert starting with: “Ask @scottbaio what happened in his garage at his house when I was a minor. Creep.” Baio said he chose to use Facebook Live to deny the accusation “because no one can edit me. This is the truth.” He held up documents he said proved Eggert was over 18 when they had sex, and he posted his full statement on Twitter refuting what he called “false charges.”
Eggert filed a police report against Baio in February, claiming that he sexually assaulted her while she was a teenager. Prosecutors declined to file charges against Baio in June, saying in an evaluation that the statute of limitations had expired.
Mario Batali, 58, a celebrity chef, was accused of sexual harassment and groping by multiple women. Beginning with an Eater article published on Dec. 11 that detailed multiple allegations against Batali, the chef stepped away from operations at his Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group and was fired from the ABC cooking show “The Chew,” with the Food Network scrapping plans to air new episodes of his hit ’90s cooking show, “Molto Mario.” Batali later issued a controversial apology in his newsletter, owning up to his misconduct against women before ending his message with a recipe for “Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls.”
Luc Besson, 59, a French film director, was accused of rape by an unnamed 27-year-old woman who alleges Besson put something in her tea that left her unconscious, according to a report from the Associated Press on May 19, 2018. She accuses him of touching and penetrating her without her consent at the Hôtel Le Bristol in Paris. Authorities are investigating the complaint. Besson has denied the allegations. In November 2018, French investigative magazine Mediapart reported allegations from five more women. Two former students at Besson’s film school, two former assistants at his company and a former model who aspired to become an actress, Karine Isambert, told the magazine the director harassed and intimidated them. Only Isambert spoke on the record. Besson hasn’t responded to the allegations.
David Blaine, 45, a magician, faces an allegation of rape from model Natasha Prince, who says the celebrity illusionist assaulted her shortly after she turned 21 in 2004. Prince reported the alleged incident to the Child Abuse and Sexual Offenses Command at London’s Metropolitan Police in November 2016 and it was later referred to Scotland Yard. In September, investigators contacted Blaine’s lawyer, Marty Singer, to request that Blaine travel to the United Kingdom for an interview. Blaine’s attorney denied the claim to the Daily Beast which published Prince’s account in October. There is no statute of limitations on sex crimes in Great Britain.
Nick Carter, 38, a musician and actor who rose to fame as part of the boy band Backstreet Boys, was accused of sexual assault by Melissa Schuman, formerly a member of the pop group Dream. In a Nov. 2 blog post, Schuman alleged the incident happened shortly after they were cast in the 2004 TV movie “The Hollow” when she was 18 and he was 22. She shared her story wider via Twitter on Nov. 19, 2017, using the hashtag #MeToo. In a statement to USA TODAY, Carter denied assaulting Schuman and expressed that any interactions were consensual. In September, prosecutors declined to file charges against Carter.
Vincent Cirrincione, 70, Halle Berry’s ex-manager and current manager of Taraji P. Henson, was accused of sexual harassment by nine women in a Feb. 2 report published by The Washington Post. The accusers say he used Berry and Henson’s names as carrots while pressuring up-and-coming actresses for sexual favors. Tamika Lamison claims Cirrincione “grabbed her and started kissing her, sticking his tongue in her mouth” in 1996 when she was a 27-year-old actress. Former stage actress Letha Remington and burlesque show creator Peppur Chambers are among eight other African-American women and one Asian-American woman who told the Post similar stories of unwanted sexual advances toward them over a period of two decades. Cirrincione issued a statement to the Post, both supporting the #MeToo climate and denying any of his relationships were not consensual.
Louis C.K. (Louis Székely), 51, an actor and comedian known for his vulgar humor, was accused of sexual misconduct by five woman in an expose published by The New York Times on Nov. 9, 2017. In the piece, comedian Dana Min Goodman claims C.K. exposed himself and started masturbating in front of her and fellow comedian Julia Wolov in his hotel room during a comedy festival in 2002. Comedian Abby Schachner alleges she heard C.K. masturbating during a phone conversation with him in 2003. Comedian Rebecca Corry claims the comedian asked if he could masturbate in front of her while they were appearing on a television pilot together in 2005; she declined. The anonymous accuser claims she was working in production at “The Chris Rock Show” in her 20s when the comedian repeatedly ask her to watch him masturbate. C.K.’s publicist Lewis Kay released a statement from the comedian on Nov. 10, 2017, admitting to the acts described in the Times piece. “These stories are true,” he wrote. Since his statement, C.K. lost a host of jobs, including his gig with the upcoming “Secret Life of Pets” sequel.
He has reportedly made two surprise appearances at the Comedy Cellar in the last few months. His comeback was met with controversy from many who questioned whether C.K. should be allowed back less than a year after being accused of sexual misconduct during the start of the #MeToo movement.
David Copperfield, 62, a magician, has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Brittney Lewis, a then-aspiring model who was just 17 at the time of the alleged assault in 1988, she told The Wrap. Lewis says after she competed in a modeling contest in which Copperfield was a judge, Copperfield, then 32, invited her to a show in California and later poured something into her drink in a bar. Lewis says she blacked out, but remembers him taking off her clothing and performing sexual acts on her in a hotel room. A representative for Copperfield had no comment, but on Jan. 24, the illusionist preemptively expressed support for the #MeToo movement on Twitter. In the same statement, he referenced a time when he was falsely accused of rape, which ended with his accuser being arrested and charged in a separate incident that was strikingly similar to what she said happened to her with Copperfield.
Bill Cosby, 81, the entertainer formerly thought of as “America’s dad”, was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand. Cosby is now designated a “sexually violent predator” and has to register as a sex offender and undergo counseling for the rest of his life after his release from prison. Sixty women have alleged that Cosby mistreated them.
Junot Diaz, 49, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, was accused of sexual harassment and bullying by female authors including Zinzi Clemmons, Carmen Maria Machado and Monica Byrne on Twitter on May 4. Clemmons tweeted that she was a graduate student, she invited Diaz to speak to a workshop. She described herself as a “wide-eyed 26-year-old” and wrote that Diaz used it as an opportunity “to corner and forcibly kiss me.”
Andy Dick, 52, an actor and comedian from “Road Trip,” was accused of “groping people’s genitals, unwanted kissing/licking and sexual propositions of at least four members of the production,” on the set of the independent feature film “Raising Buchanan,” according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. In an interview with the news outlet Oct. 30, 2017, Dick denied groping claims, but admitted to licking and propositioning people. He has since been fired from his role in “Buchanan.” On Nov. 1, 2017,director Frankie Ingrassia and producer Jed Rhein confirmed to Vulture that Dick was let go from another film on Oct. 18, due to similar behavior.
Michael Douglas, 74, an Oscar-winning actor best known for “Fatal Attraction” and “Basic Instinct,” was accused of sexual harassment by author and journalist Susan Braudy in a report published by The Hollywood Reporter Jan. 18. Braudy claims that while working for Douglas’ production company in the late ’80s, he subjected her to sexually charged comments about her appearance and his mistresses, and masturbated in front of her during a private script meeting in his apartment. Douglas told Deadline on Jan. 10 that a former employee had spoken to THR about his alleged harassment, denying Braudy’s account before her article published.
Richard Dreyfuss, 70, of “Jaws” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus” fame, was accused of exposing himself to Los Angeles-based writer Jessica Teich in a report published by Vulture Nov. 10, 2017. She alleges the harassment occurred in the mid-1980s when she worked as a researcher and junior writer on a TV show called “Funny, You Don’t Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville.” In a statement to the news site, Dreyfuss denied exposing himself to Teich, but admitted that “at the height of my fame in the late 1970s I became an assh—, the kind of performative masculine man my father had modeled for me to be… But I am not an assaulter.”
Charles Dutoit, 81, a conductor and artistic director of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, was accused of sexual assault by three opera singers and a classical musician in a report published by the Associated Press Dec. 21, 2017. The New York Times later reported that Dutoit stepped down from his role conducting a series of New York Philharmonic concerts in January following the allegations.
James Franco, 40, an actor known for movies including “The Disaster Artist” and “Pineapple Express,” was accused of sexually exploitative behavior by five women in a report published in the Los Angeles Times Jan. 11. Franco’s accusers include four former students, and one who said he was her mentor. Franco’s attorney, Michael Plonsker, disputed all of the women’s claims in statements to the Times. While appearing on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” the same week, Franco called the claims “not accurate.”
Morgan Freeman, 81, an Oscar-winning actor was accused of sexual harassment, unwanted touching and other inappropriate behavior by eight people, according to a CNN investigation published May 24. The report details an alleged pattern of making unwanted advances on women while he was on movie sets and at other events. Freeman denied the accusations in a statement to USA TODAY the same day. “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy,” the statement reads. “I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected – that was never my intent.”
Gary Goddard, 64, a producer and writer (“Masters of the Universe”), was accused by “ER” actor Anthony Edwards of molesting him in an essay published Nov. 10, 2017, on Medium. Edwards says he first met Goddard when he was 12, and served as a leader for Edwards’ group of friends. “Everyone has the need to bond, and I was no exception,” Edwards wrote. “My vulnerability was exploited. I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him – and this went on for years. The group of us, the gang, stayed quiet.” Goddard’s press representative Sam Singer put out a statement on Nov. 10 “unequivocally” denying Edward’s charges.
David Guillod, a manager, producer and co-CEO of Primary Wave Entertainment (“Atomic Blonde”), was accused by actress Jessica Barth of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2012 when he was working as her manager, she confirmed to The Wrap on Nov. 2, 2017. Barth said she reported the incident to the LAPD after it happened. She then said that Guillod threatened her with a lawsuit to keep her from pressing charges. Following the allegations, Guillod’s attorney said charges were fully investigated at the time, but he has taken a leave of absence from the company, reports Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter.
Paul Haggis, 65, an Oscar-winning screenwriter and director, was accused by publicist Haleigh Breest of rape according to a civil lawsuit she filed in New York in December. She alleges he raped her after luring her back to his Manhattan following a film premiere in 2013. He filed a countersuit accusing her of extortion, but a judge dismissed Haggis’ lawsuit in July. Three other women have since come forward anonymously to The Associated Press to accuse Haggis of rape or other sexual misconduct, in a detailed story published Jan. 5. Haggis’ lawyer, Christine Lepera, told the AP: “He didn’t rape anybody.” In the mid-2000s, Haggis became the first screenwriter to write back-to-back best picture winners, “Million Dollar Baby” and “Crash,” which he also directed.
Dustin Hoffman, 81, an Oscar-winning actor known for “Rain Man” and “The Graduate,” was accused of sexual harassment by Anna Graham Hunter in an article published by The Hollywood Reporter on Nov. 1, 2017. Hunter alleges he groped her and talked about sex in front of her while she was a 17-year-old intern on the set of his 1985 TV-movie adaptation of “Death of a Salesman.” Hoffman apologized in a statement to the Associated Press, saying, “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation… It is not reflective of who I am.” The following day, Hoffman’s second accuser, Wendy Riss Gatsiounis came forward, telling Variety that he made verbal advances and tried to convince her to go to a nearby hotel when she was a playwright in her 20s. In September, Bill Murray defended a Hoffman after facing questions about the actor’s alleged sexual harassment. “Dustin Hoffman is a great man,” Murray said. “He’s crazy, a ‘Borscht Belt’ flirt, has been his whole life. (But) he’s a really sweet man.”
Ethan Kath (Claudio Palmieri), 34, a songwriter and producer of Canadian music group Crystal Castles, was accused of rape on Oct. 24, 2017, by former bandmate Alice Glass in a lengthy letter posted on her website, Vulture and The Huffington Post report. She claims the abuse lasted for almost 10 years, starting when she was 15 years old, and that this was the reason she left the band, which she co-founded with Kath, in 2014. In a statement to Pitchfork via his attorney, Kath denied the allegations. “I am outraged and hurt by the recent statements made by Alice about me and our prior relationship,” the statement reads. “Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice.”
R Kelly, 51, a singer known for his songs “Ignition” and”I Believe I Can Fly,” has been accused of sexual abuse, sexual coercion and physical violence by multiple accusers. Beyond the allegations of sexual abuse that have followed Kelly for decades, new accusers have come forward in the past year, alleging that the singer committed acts of sexual coercion and physical abuse. A 2017 Buzzfeed story reported that Kelly rented homes in Atlanta and Chicago for groups of women who allegedly perform sexual favors for him. He has denied the allegations.
Andrew Kreisberg, 47, executive producer of CW superhero series “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl” and “Legends of Tomorrow,” was fired by Warner Bros., USA TODAY confirmed Nov. 29, 2017. The firing comes after he was suspended on Nov. 10 after Variety published a story in which 15 women and four men alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate physical contact. At the time, Kreisberg denied any inappropriate touching or massages, telling Variety, “I have made comments on women’s appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized. Like many people, I have given someone a nonsexual hug or kiss on the cheek.”
John Lasseter, 61, the chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, will exit the company at year’s end, the Walt Disney Corporation announced on June 8, following reports of inappropriate workplace behavior. Lasseter acknowledged “missteps” in a memo obtained by USA TODAY last November, just as The Hollywood Reporter published a report citing unnamed sources who told the industry publication that his behavior went beyond hugging to “grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes.” Lasseter went on sabbatical last November. He in a consulting role at the Walt Disney Co. until Dec. 31.
More: Disney/Pixar head John Lasseter takes leave of absence after ‘missteps’
Matt Lauer, 60, the TV journalist who co-anchored NBC’s “Today” show for more than 20 years, was fired by NBC on Nov. 29, 2017, over a complaint of “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” According to NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk, there are as many as eight accusers, though tallying is difficult as the accounts have been anonymous. “There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions,” Lauer said in a statement following his firing. “To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC.”
James Levine, 75, a longtime conductor with New York’s Metropolitan Opera, was suspended pending an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The action came in December, a day after the New York Post reported that one of Levine’s accusers claimed he had sexual contact with Levine as a teenager. The New York Times reported similar accounts from two other men with Levine. He was formally terminated by the Met in March.
Peter Martins, 71, a longtime ballet chief of the New York City Ballet, was removed from teaching at the School of American Ballet while an independent two investigation was conducted into accusations of sexual harassment against him. Martins, asked to respond, said: “The company has already addressed it.” He retired in January.
Benny Medina, 60, a manager who currently represents Jennifer Lopez, was accused of attempted rape by “Sordid Lives” star Jason Dottley in an interview published by The Advocate on Nov. 10, 2017. After throwing Dottley onto a bed in Medina’s Los Angeles mansion in 2008, Medina “stuck his tongue down my mouth,” Dottley alleges in the interview. A statement from Medina’s lawyers Howard Weitzman and Shawn Holley to USA TODAY said Medina “categorically denies the allegation of attempted rape.”
Murray Miller, 41, a screenwriter best known as the writer for the hit TV series “Girls,” was accused of sexual assault by actress Aurora Perrineau, according to a Nov. 20, 2017, report from The Wrap. Perrineau, who alleges the incident occurred in 2012 when she was 17, filed a report at the West Hollywood station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Sgt. Nelson Rios confirmed to USA TODAY. Miller’s attorney, Matthew B. Walerstein, sent USA TODAY a statement in which his client denied Perrineau’s allegations. “Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham and executive producer Jenni Konner issued a statement in support of Miller, which she later apologized for after receiving criticism.
T.J. Miller, 37, an actor best known for the TV series “Silicon Valley,” was accused of sexually assaulting and punching a woman in an anonymous account published by the Daily Beast Dec. 19. The alleged incidents occurred while studying at George Washington University during the course of a relationship that began in the fall of 2001. Miller and his wife of two years, Kate, denied the allegations in a statement to USA TODAY.
Nelly, 43, a rapper known for hit “Hot in Herre,” was accused by Monique Greene of raping her on his tour bus, according to a report published by The Seattle Times Dec. 20. The rapper was arrested on his tour bus in a suburban Seattle Walmart parking lot in October 2017 on charges of second-degree rape. Prosecutors said in December they weren’t charging the rapper because the woman was no longer cooperating with the case. In September, the rapper agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the accuser claiming Nelly defamed her when he said she was lying.
More: Report: Actress Aurora Perrineau accuses ‘Girls’ writer Murray Miller of sexual assault
Carter Oosterhouse, 42, an HGTV personality who hosts the show “Carter Can,” was accused by makeup artist Kailey Kaminsky of coercing her into performing oral sex. In a Hollywood Reporter interview on Dec. 15, Kaminsky claimed she worked as Oosterhouse’s makeup artist in 2008, and repeatedly rebuffed Oosterhouse’s advances until his requests became intimidating and he threatened her job. In a statement to THR, Oosterhouse disputed the details of his “intimate relationship” with Kaminsky, claiming it was “100 percent mutual.”
Jeremy Piven, 53, a star on the TV series “Entourage,” was accused by actress and reality star Ariane Bellamar of groping her on two occasions. In her tweets published Oct. 30, 2017, she alleges one encounter took place in Piven’s trailer on the “Entourage” set, when he allegedly grabbed her breasts and bottom, and the other occurred at the Playboy Mansion. Piven denied the allegations in a statement sent to USA TODAY by his rep, Jennifer Allen: “I unequivocally deny the appalling allegations being peddled about me.” Days later, two other women also came forward with accusations. Advertising executive Tiffany Bacon Scourby told People that Piven sexually assaulted her in 2003. And actress Anastasia Taneie told BuzzFeed that Piven forcibly pushed her up against a wall and groped her when she was an extra on “Entourage” in 2009.
CBS, which aired Piven’s series “Wisdom of the Crowd,” said in a statement, “We are aware of the media reports and are looking into the matter.” It has since canceled the show.
Brett Ratner, 49, a producer and director (“Rush Hour,” “X-Men: The Last Stand”), was accused of sexually harassing six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, in a Nov. 1 report from the Los Angeles Times. In an Oct. 20, 2017, Facebook post, Melanie Kohler claimed Ratner “was a rapist at least one night in Hollywood about 12 years ago” and that he “preyed on me as a drunk girl (and) forced himself on me.” Ratner has dropped his defamation suit against Kohler, and is no longer working on projects at Warner Bros.
Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White), 47, the former bassist and guitarist of the band Marilyn Manson, was accused of rape Oct. 20, 2017, by Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka Addams, who shared in a Facebook post that White physically and sexually assaulted her while they were dating. On Oct. 24, Marilyn Manson shared in a Twitter statement that he decided to “part ways with Jeordie White as a member of Marilyn Manson.”
Charlie Rose, 76, the longtime TV journalist and host of “CBS This Morning” and his eponymous interview show broadcast on PBS, was accused of unwanted sexual advances by a series of women. On Nov. 20, The Washington Post published a story featuring eight women’s accounts of Rose making lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas, while they worked for him or aspired to work for him. Following that report, Business Insider published accounts from three unnamed women (they could not say if they were the same women cited by The Post), who also alleged that Rose behaved inappropriately. PBS dropped his show while CBS fired Rose, and the news organization found three CBS employees who are accusing Rose of sexual harassment during his time at the network. Rose acknowledged his misdeeds and apologized in a statement to the Post, saying, “It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.” A follow-up report in May by The Post found an additional 27 women who made accusations against Rose; three accusers have filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.
Chris Savino, 47, an animator and writer best known for creating “The Loud House,” was fired from Nickelodeon after multiple women lodged complaints against him, the network confirmed in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. On Oct. 23, 2017, Savino posted an apology to his Facebook page, writing he is “deeply sorry” that his words and actions “created an uncomfortable environment,” CBS News and THR report.
Nev Schulman, 34, the co-host of MTV’s “Catfish,” was accused of sexual misconduct by Ayissha Morgan, who previously appeared on the show. She alleged in a video posted to Youtube on May 12, 2018, that Schulman made several inappropriate, sexual comments to her.Schulman denied the allegations in an emailed statement to USA TODAY On May 17. “The behavior described in this video did not happen,” he said. “I have always been transparent about my life and would always take responsibility for my actions — but these claims are false.” MTV suspended the show in order to conduct an investigation, according to an emailed statement from the network to USA TODAY the same day. Ultimately, the network found the allegations “not credible and without merit.”
Mark Schwahn, 52, a screenwriter best known for creating the popular TV series “One Tree Hill,” was accused of “traumatizing” sexual harassment by 18 cast and crew members of the show, including Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton, in a letter published in Variety on Nov. 13. The letter was penned in support of former “Tree Hill” writer Audrey Wauchope, who detailed in a series of tweets the treatment female crew endured on the show. Following an investigation, Schwahn was fired by Lionsgate Television on Dec. 21.
More: ‘One Tree Hill’ cast unite to accuse creator Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment
Steven Seagal, 66, an actor and producer (“Under Siege,” “Above the Law”), was accused of sexual harassment by Portia de Rossi, who claims he unzipped his pants during a private office audition. “He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants,” de Rossi tweeted Nov. 8. “I ran out and called my agent.” “ER” actress Julianna Margulies also revealed an incident she had with Seagal in an interview with SiriusXM’s Jenny Hutt on Nov. 4. She claims the producer requested to go over a scene with her in his hotel room when she was 23, and once she arrived at 10:40 p.m., the female assistant who said she would be there with her was gone. “He made sure that I saw his gun, which I had never seen a gun in real life,” she alleges in the interview. “And I got out of there unscathed… I sorta screamed my way out.” In March 2018, Regina Simons accused Seagal of raping her when she was 18 and an extra on his 1994 film “On Deadly Ground.” Seagal walked out of a BBC interview Oct. 4 when the reporter brought up accusations against him.
Gene Simmons, 69, the frontman of Kiss, was accused of making unwanted sexual advances during an on-camera interview Nov. 1 at the San Manuel Casino location of his Rock & Brews Restaurant in Highland, California. Simmons was named in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, with the plaintiff, described only as a “longtime on-air personality for a local rock station,” claiming that the rocker groped her while she was interviewing and taking pictures with him. In a tweeted statement, Simmons vehemently denied the claims, saying he intends “to defend myself against any alleged charges you may have been reading about in the media.” The two settled the lawsuit in July.
Russell Simmons, 61, a music mogul best known for co-founding the hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings, was accused of assault by Keri Claussen Khalighi, an aspiring model who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident. Khalighi says Simmons assaulted her and coerced her into perform oral sex while Brett Ratner was present, according to a report from The Los Angeles Times on Nov. 19, 2017. Simmons has denied the allegations. “I completely and unequivocally deny the horrendous allegations of nonconsensual sex against me with every fiber of my being,” Simmons said in the statement shared with USA TODAY from representative Eric Rose. On Nov. 30, screenwriter Jenny Lumet (“Rachel Getting Married”) published a guest column in The Hollywood Reporter accusing Simmons of forcing her to have sex in 1991, which prompted the music mogul to announce he would be stepping down from his various businesses and philanthropies shortly thereafter. Then, on Dec. 13, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times printed reports from nine new women who disclosed incidents involving sexual misconduct by Simmons over three decades. Four of the women say that he raped them. Simmons “vehemently” denies the new claims. In July, Variety ran a piece in which Alexia Norton Jones said Simmons raped her in 1990.
Bryan Singer, 53, a director best known for the “X-Men” films, was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy in a lawsuit filed Dec. 7, 2017, in Washington state. Cesar Sanchez-Guzman says the incident happened in 2003 when he attended a party on a yacht in the Seattle area. Sanchez-Guzman was 17 at the time. In a statement to Variety, Singer said he “categorically denies” the allegations. The allegation hit the same week Singer was fired from his film “Bohemian Rhapsody.” In September 2018, THR reported Singer, apparently ready for his comeback, is in talks to direct an adaptation of “Red Sonja.”
Tom Sizemore, 56, an actor known for “Saving Private Ryan,” was accused of molesting an 11-year-old actress on the set of crime thriller “Born Killers” (shot as “Piggy Banks”) in 2003, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter published Nov. 13, 2017. The child actress allegedly told her mother that Sizemore touched her genitals during a photo shoot for the film. According to THR, her parents declined to press charges and months later, Sizemore returned for reshoots in Malibu. His agent, Stephen Rice, told the industry trade paper, “Our position is ‘no comment.'” The woman file a lawsuit against Sizemore in May.
More: Tom Sizemore accused of molesting 11-year-old actress on set in 2003
Tavis Smiley, 54, the talk show host who led an eponymous late-night show on PBS, was suspended by the network on Dec. 13, 2017, after “multiple, credible allegations” of misconduct. Following PBS’ suspension, Mills Entertainment announced it was pulling out of backing Smiley’s 40-city tour of Death of a King: A Live Theatrical Experience, a show based on Smiley’s 2014 book focusing on the last year in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Smiley categorically denied the claims, arguing that his workplace sexual encounters were consensual and that PBS “only agreed to talk to me after weeks of investigation they didn’t tell me about,” and that the network denied him his “due process.” Smiley and PBS are suing one another.
Kevin Spacey, 59, an actor best known for his roles on “House of Cards” and “American Beauty,” has been accused of sexual harassment by actor Anthony Rapp, who claims he was 14 when Spacey made advances toward him in 1986. Spacey apologized to Rapp via Twitter on Oct. 30, 2017, writing, “I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.” The actor also came out as gay in the statement. Since the Rapp report, a number of other accusers have come forward against Spacey, including a former “House of Cards” crew member, filmmaker Tony Montana and actor Rob Cavazos. At the Old Vic theater in London, where Spacey was once artistic director, an investigation uncovered 20 allegations of inappropriate behavior. Netflix temporarily shut down production of “Cards” and cut ties with Spacey. In addition, The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said it would no longer honor Spacey with the 2017 Emmy Founders Award. The actor’s representative, Staci Wolfe, told USA TODAY Spacey planned to “seek evaluation and treatment.”
Morgan Spurlock, 47, a documentary filmmaker famous for “Super Size Me” and “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” shared a written confession on Twitter admitting to various allegations of sexual misconduct, including a sexual encounter that ended with his female partner claiming rape, a settlement for verbal harassment with a former female employee, and a pattern of infidelity with his romantic partners. In response, YouTube Red announced that it would not be releasing Spurlock’s documentary “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!,” and the remaining partners in the director’s Warrior Poets production company pulled the film from the January Sundance slate, saying “this is not the appropriate time” for the premiere.
Sylvester Stallone, 72, an actor-director whose “Rocky” franchise saw a rebirth with 2015’s “Creed,” is facing reports of sexual assault from the late ’80s. An old police report detailed by the Daily Mail and the Baltimore Post-Examiner website indicates an unnamed teen, then 16, consented to sex with Stallone in Las Vegas in 1986. But she told police she did not consent to group sex after Stallone invited his bodyguard to join them. She said she felt intimidated into having sex with both of them. Under Nevada law, the age of consent is 16. “This is a ridiculous, categorically false story,” his rep, Michelle Bega, told USA TODAY.
George Takei, 81, an actor and social activist best known for his role on “Star Trek,” was accused of sexually assaulting former model Scott R. Brunton, according to an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter on Nov. 10, 2017. Brunton alleged Takei groped him in the actor’s Los Angeles condominium in 1981. Takei denied the allegations in a series of tweets on Nov. 11, writing, “The events he describes back in the 1980s simply did not occur, and I do not know why he has claimed them now.” Brunton has since recanted his story, and Takei tweeted, “I wish him peace.”
Jeffrey Tambor, 74, an actor best known for his role on Amazon’s “Transparent,” was accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior by his former assistant, a transgender woman named Van Barnes, according to a Deadline report on Nov. 8, 2017. Tambor, who played a trans woman on the hit show, rejected the claims, calling Barnes’ allegations “baseless.” Tambor was also accused of sexual misconduct by “Transparent” star Trace Lysette in a Nov. 16 report from The Hollywood Reporter. Amazon Studios initiated an investigation into the allegations, Amazon spokesperson Craig Berman confirmed to USA TODAY. Tambor was fired in February.
Mario Testino, 63, a famed fashion photographer who has also photographed Britain’s royal family, was accused by 13 male models and assistants of sexual misconduct in a January 2018 report by The New York Times. The claims include instances of groping and masturbation. In response to the Times, Testino’s law firm questioned the accusers’ credibility. In March, the Times told published accounts from an additional five male accusers. Their claims include more groping and harassment. Of the new allegations, Testino told the outlet: “I continue to deny any wrongdoing.”
Boyd Tinsley, 54, Dave Matthews Band’s former violinist, was accused of sexual misconduct by James Frost-Winn, a Seattle-based trumpet player who worked for Tinsley as a member of the band Crystal Garden from about 2015 through 2016, according to a report from online entertainment magazine Consequence of Sound on May 17, 2018. Frost-Winn is seeking $9 million in damages against Tinsley, claiming he created a “hostile work environment” by making unwanted advancements and sending explicit texts, according to court documents, which were filed in Washington state. DMB denied previously knowing about the allegations in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.
James Toback, 73, a screenwriter and film director (“The Pick-up Artist,” “Two Girls and a Guy”), was accused of sexually harassing over 300 women, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 27, 2017. The Times says 31 of the women spoke on the record about their encounters with Toback, which go back decades, and more than 270 have contacted journalist Glenn Whipp with similar claims. Actress Julianne Moore accused Toback via Twitter on Oct. 24, 2017, of luring aspiring actresses to his hotel room for an audition, adding it happened to her in the 1980s. Actresses Rachel McAdams and Selma Blair joined the list, speaking to Vanity Fair on Oct. 26, 2017.
Ben Vereen, 71, an actor and Broadway legend, apologized Jan. 5 for “inappropriate” sexual conduct against young women in a 2015 production of “Hair” he directed at a community theater in Venice, Florida. The allegations, first published by New York’s Daily News, include sexual groping, unwanted kisses, aggressive hugs, naked acting exercises, hot-tub encounters at his residence, and lewd comments about the accusers’ weight, sex appeal and personal lives. Vereen did not deny the claims in the statement he posted to Twitter, writing “I would like to apologize directly to the female cast members of the musical “Hair” for my inappropriate conduct.”
Bruce Weber, 72, a photographer, was accused of sexual misconduct by two male models Dec. 5 who say Weber pressured them to take off their clothes and to touch their own genitals during photo shoots. In January, The New York Times and Business of Fashion reported 16 more men had come forward with allegations. Weber told the Times he was “completely shocked and saddened by the outrageous claims.” .
Bob Weinstein, 63, a film producer and brother of Harvey Weinstein, has been accused of harassing TV producer Amanda Segel. In a statement, Spike TV told the Associated Press that the network is investigating the allegations by Segel, the showrunner on its adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Mist.” According to a story published Oct. 17, 2017, by Variety, Weinstein invited her to dinner, to his home and to a hotel room during a three-month period in the summer of 2016.
Harvey Weinstein, 66, a film producer (“Shakespeare in Love,” “Emma”), was accused of decades of alleged sexual harassment and assault in bombshell reports from The New York Times and New Yorker in early October 2017. The list of his accusers, which now totals 87 women, includes actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan. He faces six counts of sexual assault in New York.
Matthew Weiner, 53, a writer known for creating the hit series “Mad Men,” was accused of sexual harassment by “Mad Men” staff writer Kater Gordon in an interview with The Information on Nov. 9, 2017. In the interview, she alleges Weiner told her late one night she ”owed it to him to let him see her naked.” She says she didn’t report the comment officially because she was afraid of losing her job. A year after the incident, Gordon was let go from “Mad Men.” The firing, which happened just weeks after Gordon and Weiner’s shared Emmy win, made headlines. Weiner’s spokeswoman said in a statement to The Information,”Mr. Weiner spent eight to ten hours a day writing dialogue aloud with Miss Gordon, who started on ‘Mad Men’ as his writers assistant. He does not remember saying this comment nor does it reflect a comment he would say to any colleague.”
More: ‘Mad Men’ creator Matthew Weiner accused of harassment by former writer Kater Gordon
Ed Westwick, 31, an actor best known for his role on the hit series “Gossip Girl,” was accused of rape by actress Kristina Cohen, who filed a report of sexual assault with the Hollywood police station on Nov. 7, 2017, LAPD spokesman Drake Madison confirmed to USA TODAY. Cohen accused Westwick in a Facebook post Nov. 6, which claimed he raped her at his house three years earlier. Westwick has denied the allegations, tweeting, “I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.” Westwick was also accused of unwanted advances and groping by Rachel Eck in a Buzzfeed report on Nov. 14, 2017. In July, Los Angeles prosecutors declined to press charges, citing a lack of evidence and the statute of limitations.
Posted in Feature Posts, Sexual abuse/historic sexual abuse, The Media | 8 Responses
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