sexual harassment Archives – Page 3 of 4

James Franco scandal: Sexual misconduct allegations spark controversy

January 11, 2018

by Colleen McGregor

James Franco in W’s August 2017 issue (Photo by Alasdair McLellan)

James Franco is on a long and growing list of famous and influential men accused of sexual misconduct. In a Los Angeles Times article published on January 11, 2018, five women came forward to report that Franco abused his power by pressuring them to get naked and/or perform sexual acts. Franco, 39, is a highly educated actor, filmmaker, TV producer, poet, painter and teacher, with post-graduate degrees from several schools, including New York University, Columbia University and the Rhode Island School of Design. He described the sexual misconduct claims against him as “not accurate” in separate interviews on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (on January 9) and “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (on January 10). In the interview with Colbert, Franco said he would refrain from telling his side of the story because he believes in the movement for “under-represented” alleged harassment and abuse victims to tell their stories.

The controversy began during the 2018 Golden Globe Awards ceremony on January 7, when Franco wore black and a Time’s Up pin to show his support for the Time’s Up movement and legal defense fund, which are aimed at helping victims of sexism and sexual misconduct. At the Golden Globes, Franco won the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, for his starring role in “The Disaster Artist,” a movie he also directed.

Tommy Wiseau, James Franco, and Dave Franco with award presenters Shirley MacLaine and Emma Stone at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 7, 2018. (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC)

During the award show, several people (including actress Ally Sheedy, whom he directed in the 2014 off-Broadway play “The Long Shrift”) went on Twitter and other social media to express their outrage at Franco, and accused him of being someone who committed sexual misconduct against women. Sheedy’s comments (which were later taken down) hinted that she left the entertainment business because of Franco. She has not publicly elaborated on went wrong with Franco to cause her to make those statements.

In his interviews with Colbert and Seth Meyers, Franco said that he had a “great time” working with Sheedy, and claimed to have no idea why she is upset with him. When Meyers asked Franco if he had contacted Sheedy to find out why she posted those tweets, Franco said he did not contact her and wanted to let the matter be. In the interview with Colbert, Franco said that he wanted to “fix” any problems he may have caused with anyone accusing him of mistreatment. Some of Franco’s accusers told the Los Angeles Times that Franco had contacted them by phone to make awkward apologies.

Most of the sexual misconduct that Franco is accused of committing has to do with his role as a teacher or mentor for Playhouse West (where Franco was previously a student) and his now-defunct acting school Studio 4, which he co-founded in 2014. Studio 4, which had locations in Los Angeles and New York, abruptly closed in late September 2017, not long before the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke.

The Los Angeles Times reported that although several of Franco’s former students said that Franco was a helpful teacher and it was a positive experience for them, four of the five women (Sarah Tither-Kaplan, Hilary Dusome, Natalie Chmiel, Katie Ryan) who told their stories to the Los Angeles Times said they had negative experiences with Franco. The four women are former Playhouse West or Studio 4 students who described Franco as someone who frequently pressured young women to get naked and sometimes do sex scenes for student acting projects, with the implied promise that they would get roles in Franco’s movies if they complied with the demands.

The women said that Franco would make an excessive amount of requests for his female students to portray roles as strippers or prostitutes. And on at least one occasion, he got very angry and stormed off when none of the female students volunteered to go topless to film a scene in a student project. One of the classes that Franco taught at Studio 4 was about how to film sex scenes. While filming an orgy scene with several women for a student project, Franco allegedly removed the required plastic covering over their vaginas, and simulated oral sex on them. He and Studio 4 were also accused of uploading women’s nude scenes on the Internet without their consent. Franco’s attorneys have denied those allegations.

Tither-Kaplan and Violet Paley (an aspiring filmmaker) were among the people who posted anti-Franco comments on Twitter during the Golden Globes ceremony. Paley told the Los Angeles Times that although she had a consensual affair with Franco in 2016, the relationship started off with him pressuring her to perform oral sex on him by pushing her head down toward his exposed penis while they were in a car. Because she also considered Franco to be her mentor, Paley said that “The power dynamic was really off.”

The Franco controversy led to the New York Times cancelling its TimesTalks “Disaster Artist” interview panel with Franco that would have taken place on January 10. It remains to be seen if Franco will have significant career damage due to the scandal.

Franco also taught classes at the University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, New York University, UCLA, Playhouse West and Palo Alto High School. Franco is an alum of the latter four schools. None of the schools has reported any sexual misconduct complaints about Franco. So far, HBO plans to move forward with the second season of “The Deuce,” a TV series about the 1970s rise of the porn industry in New York City. In addition to starring in “The Deuce,” Franco is also one of the show’s executive producers and directors. Representatives for “The Deuce” told the Los Angeles Times that they had not received any complaints about Franco from people involved with the show.

While opinions on the Internet seem to be divided over whether or not Franco is guilty of sexual misconduct, Franco’s famous friends such as Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow (who has been an actively vocal crusader against alleged sexual harassers) have neither publicly defended nor condemned Franco. Their public silence about Franco’s situation could be interpreted in different ways.

This isn’t the first time that Franco has been accused of acting inappropriately with a female. In 2014, he admitted to trying to get a 17-year-old fan named Lucy Clode to meet him for a tryst in a hotel room, even after she told him her age. The incident took place in New York, where the legal age of consent at the time was 17. Clode posted screen shots of the Instagram conversation that she had with Franco, who later went on the talk show “Live” to say he was embarrassed and sorry that the incident happened. Franco quit social media in 2017. He has since proclaimed in several interviews that social media is one of the non-substance-abuse “addictions” that he has worked to overcome in the past year.

James Franco in "The Disaster Artist" (Photo by Justina Mintz) — James Franco in “The Disaster Artist” (Photo by Justina Mintz)

Aside from the possibility that Franco might lose business deals if the scandal gets worse, he is also faced with the humiliation of going from being an award-show darling to being an award-show outcast. Franco previously had a major award-show run for his Oscar-nominated role in the 2010 survival drama “127 Hours,” which garnered him some prizes, such as an Independent Spirit Award. “The Disaster Artist” was expected to be his next big shot at getting nominated for an Oscar. In “The Disaster Artist,” Franco plays Tommy Wiseau, the filmmaker behind the famously bad cult-classic movie “The Room.” Franco has won a Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award and Gotham Independent Film Award for his role in the movie.

Nominations for the 2018 Annual Academy Awards will be announced on January 23. The voting to decide who will be nominated ends on January 12. Even if Franco’s name ends up on the nominees list, there seems to enough damage done to his reputation that major influencers might not want to associate with him at an award show or in future projects.

The distancing has apparently started. During the pre-telecast portion of the 2018 Critics’ Choice Awards on January 11, when Franco was announced as the winner of Best Actor in a Comedy, the room reportedly went silent before some people applauded hesitantly. Franco did not attend the ceremony. According to People, he is laying low, has cut off communication with most people in his inner circle, and appears to be showing signs of depression, a condition he has admitted to having in recent interviews.

Franco is nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture at the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards, which takes place in Los Angeles on January 21. (It’s the only SAG Award nomination for “The Disaster Artist.”) Most people are not expecting Franco to attend the show. And if he did, it’s highly unlikely that he will be doing interviews there. Several industry insiders have hinted on the Internet that Franco will be hit with more accusations, so the scandal is apparently going to have a long-lasting impact, and will serve as a cautionary tale in the Times Up movement.

January 21, 2018 UPDATE: Franco attended the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards. He did not win the prize he was nominated for, and he did not do interviews at the event.

January 25, 2018 UPDATE: Franco did not receive an Oscar nomination for “The Disaster Artist.” In addition, Vanity Fair announced that Franco was removed from the group photo on the cover of the magazine’s March 2018 “Oscar” issue because of the allegations against him.

October 3, 2019 UPDATE: Franco has been hit with a sexual-exploitation lawsuit by former students Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal. Variety’s report on the lawsuit has more detail.

Miss America shakeup: Gretchen Carlson becomes board chair after several execs are ousted for sexually demeaning emails

January 2, 2018

by Colleen McGregor

Sam Haskell (far left) and Miss America 2018 Cara Mund (far right) at a Miss America press conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2017. (Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC)

Gretchen Carlson, who was crowned Miss America 1989, has taken the reigns of the Miss America Organization by being named chair of the board. The announcement comes two weeks after a HuffPost article broke the news that several high-ranking Miss America executives made derogatory comments about former Miss America winners and contestants in email exchanges dating back to 2014 and beyond. As a result, 47 former Miss Americas called for the offending parties to be fired, and the following people have been ousted from the Miss America Organization (MAO): Sam Haskell (who was CEO), Josh Randle (president), Lewis Friedman (who was lead writer for the Miss America telecast), Lynn Weidner (board chair) and Tammy Haddad (board member). Dick Clark Productions, which produced the Miss America telecast on ABC, cut ties with MAO after the board initially failed to reprimand the offending parties.

Among the more derogatory comments in the mails: Friedman described former Miss Americas collectively as “cunts,” in an email exchange with Haskell, who laughed in response to the obscene insult. In an another email to Haskell, Friedman commented on the death of Miss America 1959 Mary Ann Mobley, and said that Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle (who was a vocal critic of Haskell) should have been the one to die. Haskell also expressed amusement at this comment.

Some of the people who were ousted from MAO also made derogatory comments about Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan after she gained weight. Haskell also spread gossip about Hagan’s sex life and seemingly went out of his way to damage her career. According to emails published by HuffPost, Haskell was apparently very angry that Brent Adams, a high-ranking MAO employee at the time, chose to date Hagan instead of Haskell’s daughter.

Carlson, a former Fox News anchor, famously sued the network and its then-chairman/CEO Roger Ailes in 2016 for sexual harassment. The lawsuit, which was settled out of court, resulted in dozens of women coming forward with stories about Ailes sexually harassing them, and Ailes resigned/was ousted from Fox News in 2016. (Ailes died of complications from a head injury in 2017.)

Carlson was also a target of Haskell’s and Haddad’s wrath in several emails. After Shindle wrote a book that criticized Haskell and some aspects of MAO, Carlson refused Haskell’s demand to have Shindle banned from Carlson’s Fox News show. Carlson is the first former Miss America to become chair of the MAO board. Also joining the board as part of the shakeup are former Miss America winners Shindle, Laura Kaeppeler (2012) and Heather French Henry (2000).

Miss America 2018 contestants in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2017.
(Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC)

The Miss America Pageant, which awards scholarship money, has had its share of ups and downs since it began in 1921. The show’s telecast is not the powerhouse that it was before the 1980s. In the 2000s, the show’s ratings fell to its lowest points, and ABC dropped the pageant in 2004. From 2005 to 2010, the Miss America telecast bounced around on cable networks such as CMT and TLC before returning to ABC in 2011. Over the decades, the show’s locations also changed from longtime site Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Las Vegas (from 2005 to 2013), and then back to Atlantic City in 2014. In 2014, a deal with Dick Clark Productions helped bring the Miss America pageant telecast back to a certain level of prestige, although the Miss America pageant (with competition from the Miss USA pageant) is not considered as important as it was in decades past. It has not yet been announced if Dick Clark Productions will go back to working with MAO now that these sweeping changes to MAO’s board have been made.

Time’s Up cause: Hundreds of celebrities and executives join forces to combat sexism

January 2, 2018

by Colleen McGregor

Reese Witherspoon (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Arden)

Hundreds of famous entertainers, notable creators and high-ranking executives have joined forces to launch Time’s Up, a coalition and defense fund aimed at fighting sexism, sexual harassment and sexual abuse worldwide. According to Variety, the Time’s Up defense fund will be administered by the National Women’s Law Center.

Among the celebrities who have already donated to the fund are Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Taylor Swift, Shonda Rimes, Eva Longoria, Gwyenth Paltrow, Alyssa Milano, Viola Davis, Kate Hudson, Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, Amy Poehler, Olivia Munn, Alicia Vikander, Mary J. Blige, Allison Janney and J.J. Abrams.

As a show of support for Time’s Up and people who have been sexually harassed or sexually abused, people attending the 2018 Golden Globe Awards on January 7 are encouraged to wear black and/or a Times Up pin.

Although sexual harassment is not a new problem, a worldwide movement to speak out and fight against harassment was triggered in October 2017, when several prominent men (most notably, entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey) were disgraced after being accused by numerous people of sexual misconduct.

Before the end of the year, other powerful men had epic fallouts for their alleged misdeeds that resulted in firings, resignations and cancelled business deals. High-profile men who have been disgraced during the #MeToo movement include broadcast journalists Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin and Tavis Smiley; actors Louis C.K., Danny Masterson, Jeffrey Tambor, Ed Westwick, Tom Sizemore, Andy Dick, Jeremy Piven and T.J. Miller; celebrity chefs Mario Batali, John Besh and Johnny Iuzzini; fashion photographer Terry Richardson; entertainment mogul Russell Simmons; and filmmakers Brett Ratner and Morgan Spurlock. Many others who weren’t as famous were also exposed and ousted at media and entertainment companies such as Amazon Studios, ESPN, Nickelodeon, Vice, Pixar, DC Comics, Fox News, the New York Times, Vox Media and National Public Radio.

People in the general public who would like to donate to Time’s Up can do so by going to the official website or the Time’s Up GoFundMe site.

Johnny Iuzzini scandal: ABC cancels ‘The Great American Baking Show’ after he’s accused of sexual harassment

December 13, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

ABC has abruptly cancelled “The Great American Baking Show” after several female ex-subordinates of Johnny Iuzzini (one of the show’s judges) accused him of sexual harassment and sexual assault. “The Great American Baking Show” (originally titled “The Great Holiday Baking Show”) is the U.S. version of “The Great British Bake Off.” Iuzzini had been with the American show since its debut in 2015. The third season premiered on ABC on December 7, 2017, and featured new hosts Ayesha Curry and Anthony Adams, as well has new judge Paul Hollywood, who is one of the original judges of “The Great British Bake Off.”

The allegations against Iuzzini were first published by the news website Mic in incidents that the accusers say took place between 2009 and 2011, when Iuzzini was a pastry chef at Jean-Georges restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in New York. Iuzzini left Jean-Georges in 2011.

In an article published by Mic on November 29, 2017, four women (who did not reveal their identities for fear of retaliation) describe Iuzzini as boss of a mostly female staff who would frequently abuse his power in a sexually aggressive way. Iuzzini would allegedly demand shoulder massages from his female employees, grope female employees without their consent, simulate sex on their bodies or in their presence, and make sexual and other abusive comments. One of the women also said that Iuzzini would stick his tongue in her ear without her consent, and that it happened many times.

One of the women admitted to having a consensual, on-again/off-again sexual relationship with Iuzzini, but says that she felt pressured into the relationship, which began around the time that Iuzzini interviewed her to work at the restaurant. The other women did not have sexual relationships with Iuzzini, and say that he made the working environment so toxic that they eventually quit because of him. All of them said that they did not file formal complaints out of fear, but that they told many people at the time these alleged incidents occurred.

Iuzzini released this statement to Mic: “I am shattered and heartbroken at the thought that any of my actions left members of my team feeling hurt or degraded. More importantly, I am deeply sorry to those who felt hurt. I certainly deny the allegations, as presented to me, that I ever had a drug problem, threw an empty nitrogen canister at anyone or that I left Jean-Georges on anything other than good terms (I provided three months’ notice and maintain a good relationship with chef and mentor Jean-Georges to this day). Many of the other allegations are inaccurate, others I do not recall and none were meant to hurt people. Nonetheless, I must take responsibility if any of the members of my team felt uncomfortable by my words or actions, regardless of my intent or recollection. I must hear that what the women making the accusations are telling me and recognize I caused pain. I have strived to be a good mentor over the course of my career, and I now understand that I failed some people. To me, that is unacceptable.”

Iuzzini then went on to say in his statement that he learned this type of “unacceptable” behavior when he was a boy, and that for years, he thought that acting that way “was deemed permissible since four-star kitchens are high-stress jobs.”

On December 12, 2017, Mic published another article in which four more women came forward to say that they witnessed sexual harassment perpetrated by Iuzzini at Jean-Georges. One of the witnesses said that the restaurant’s management was aware of Iuzzini’s behavior as far back as 2004 but did nothing to stop the alleged harassment. The ex-employees of the alleged harassment said that they did not file formal complaints because they feared retaliation and felt that the restaurant’s management would protect Iuzzini. However, a lawsuit (which did not go to court) alleged that Iuzzini hired a female stripper to perform at an after-hours party at the restaurant, and that several attendees of the party were deeply offended because they did not know a stripper would be performing.

ABC released this statement: “In light of allegations that recently came to our attention, ABC has ended its relationship with Johnny Iuzzini and will not be airing the remainder of The Great American Baking Show episodes. ABC takes matters such as those described in the allegations very seriously and has come to the conclusion that they violate our standards of conduct.”

This is the second major sexual-harassment scandal to hit a celebrity chef with a show on ABC. On December 11, 2017, Mario Batali was ousted as co-host of “The Chew” after he admitted to and made a public apology for sexual harassment of female employees and other female colleagues. The allegations, made by unidentified women in an Eater article, accused Batali of sexually harassing females through unwanted groping of their private parts, as well as making crude sexual comments. The report also alleged that 57-year-old Batali had been acting this way for at least 25 years. In addition to losing his hosting gig at “The Chew,” Batali has agreed to step down from his multiple businesses.

December 21, 2017 UPDATE: ABC announced on its website that Vallery Lomas had won the third season of “The Great American Baking Show.” The announcement was made on the day that the season finale would have aired.

Mario Batali scandal: Celebrity chef steps down from his business and ‘The Chew’ after admitting to sexual harassment

December 11, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

Mario Batali has become yet another famous and powerful person accused of sexual harassment, resulting in serious damage to his career. Unlike most of the accused, celebrity chef/restaurateur Batali has admitted to the allegations made against him by colleagues and co-workers, some of whom detailed their stories to Eater, a website that covers the restaurant industry. In the wake of these revelations that Eater published on December 11, 2017, Batali has stepped down from his businesses and has left his co-hosting position at ABC’s food-oriented talk show “The Chew.”

According to the stories published by Eater, Batali (who is 57) has a history of harassing women for at least 25 years. The harassment includes unwanted groping of breasts, buttocks and other parts of the body, as well as crude sexual comments in the workplace. Batali is married with two adult children.

Along with Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich, Batali is a partner in Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, which owns the New York City restaurants Del Posto and Babbo, which each has one Michelin star. Batali is also a minority shareholder in Eataly USA, a chain of food halls specializing in Italian cuisine.

Batali had been co-hosting “The Chew” since the show’s premiere in 2011. He also starred in the Food Network show “Molto Mario,” which aired from 1996 to 2004. Batali was previously a sous chef at the Four Seasons Biltmore and a sous chef for the Four Seasons Clift Hotel San Francisco. His education includes studying at Fordham University and Le Cordon Bleu.

Batali released this statement to Eater: “I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family.

“I have work to do to try to regain the trust of those I have hurt and disappointed. For this reason, I am going to step away from day-to-day operations of my businesses. We built these restaurants so that our guests could have fun and indulge, but I took that too far in my own behavior. I won’t make that mistake again. I want any place I am associated with to feel comfortable and safe for the people who work or dine there.

“I know my actions have disappointed many people. The successes I have enjoyed are owned by everyone on my team. The failures are mine alone. To the people who have been at my side during this time — my family, my partners, my employees, my friends, my fans — I am grateful for your support and hopeful that I can regain your respect and trust. I will spend the next period of time trying to do that.”

Several journalists working on sexual-harassment stories involving the rich and famous have reported that the restaurant industry is one of the worst when it comes to sexual misconduct and degradation, with women usually being the target of the abuse. Batali surely will not be the last celebrity in the industry who will be exposed as a sexual harasser and have a fall from grace because of it.

Danny Masterson scandal: Netflix fires him from ‘The Ranch’ after he’s accused of rape

December 5, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

Netflix has announced that it has fired actor Danny Masterson from its comedy TV series “The Ranch,” after four women have come forward with claims that Masterson raped them in the early 2000s, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The Ranch,” which premiered in 2016, is set to begin airing the second half of its second season on December 15, 2017. The show is about a dysfunctional family that owns a ranch in Colorado. The cast includes Ashton Kutcher, Debra Winger and Sam Elliott.

Masterson is best known for co-starring with Kutcher in the sitcom “That ’70s Show,” which was on the air from 1998 to 2006. In the U.S., “That ’70s Show” aired on Fox. Masterson has denied all the rape allegations, and issued a statement saying that he was “disappointed” in Netflix’s decision to fire him from “The Ranch.”

Netflix’s firing of Masterson comes a little over a month after the streaming network did the same thing to “House of Cards” star/executive producer Kevin Spacey after numerous men (including “House of Cards” employees) came forward in October 2017 to claim that Spacey sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them. Spacey allegedly committed sexual harassment against males over several decades, according to published reports. Spacey issued a public apology to actor Anthony Rapp, who claimed in an October 2017 article published by BuzzFeed that Spacey tried to have sex with him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey has not publicly commented on the other allegations, but said that he is taking time off from his career to seek treatment. Spacey has since been removed from the Columbia Pictures drama “All the Money in the World” and replaced by Christopher Plummer.

In late 2017, other actors who have lost TV shows, movies or other business deals after being accused of sexual misconduct include Louis C.K., Ed Westwick, Jeremy Piven and Jeffrey Tambor. Prominent TV journalists Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose and Mark Halperin have also had disgraceful exits from their jobs after numerous women accused them of sexual harassment going back several years. An even larger number of high-ranking executives who work behind the scenes at various entertainment and media companies have been fired, placed on leave or have resigned in late 2017 after being accused of sexual misconduct by several people. The companies with these major shake-ups include Amazon Studios, DC Comics, Def Jam, National Public Radio, Nickelodeon, Pixar, Rush Communications, Vox Media, Warner Bros. Television and The Weinstein Company.

Although people being fired for sexual misconduct is nothing new, this unprecedented tidal wave of accusations and scandalous ousters in the entertainment industry seems to have been triggered by entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein’s massive fall from grace in early October 2017, when numerous women went public with stories that he sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them. As of this writing, more than 60 women have come forward with sexual misconduct stories about Weinstein, with the stories spanning various years over several decades, going as far back as the 1970s.

Russell Simmons scandal: Entertainment mogul steps down from his companies after being accused of sexual misconduct

November 30, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

Russell Simmons, an entertainment executive and producer who is best known for co-founding Def Jam Recordings and Rush Communications, has stepped down from his companies after multiple women have come forward with claims that he sexually assaulted them.

The first public accusation came from model Keri Claussen Khalighi, who told her story in a Los Angeles Times article that was published on November 19, 2017. Claussen Khalighi claimed that Simmons sexually assaulted her in 1991 when she was 17, and director Brett Ratner stood by and did nothing. Multiple other women have come forward accusing Ratner of sexual misconduct. Ratner’s misdeeds allegedly spanned over several years, include allegations from actress Olivia Munn that Ratner masturbated in front of her without her consent in 2006 and actress Natasha Henstridge, who claims that Ratner forced her to perform oral sex on him in 1993. Ratner has denied the allegations. After Claussen Khalighi’s story was published, Simmons issued a statement saying that his encounter with her was consensual.

Then on November 30, 2017, The Hollywood Reporter published a first-hand story by screenwriter Jenny Lumet, who wrote an open letter to Simmons saying that a sexual encounter that they had in 1991 was non-consensual. Lumet, who wrote the movie screenplays to 2008’s “Rachel Getting Married” and 2017’s “The Mummy,” says that Simmons had pursued her off and on romantically for years before the alleged sexual assault, but she rejected his advances, and he seemed to accept that their relationship would remain platonic. Lumet and Simmons had mutual friends, and had at one time worked together when Lumet had a role in “Tougher Than Leather,” a 1988 movie that had Simmons as one of its producers.

That friendly relationship changed in 1991, when one night Simmons offered to give Lumet a ride home. Instead of taking her home, Simmons instructed his driver to go to Simmons’ home, where Lumet (who was 24 at the time) says Simmons pressured and intimidated her into having sex, even though she verbally protested his sexual advances many times that night. Although Simmons did not use physical violence to force her into the encounter, Lumet says she was fearful and in shock at the time, and went along with his demands so she could get it over with and escape from Simmons.

After Lumet’s claims were published, Simmons issued the following statement: “I have been informed with great anguish of Jenny Lumet’s recollection about our night together in 1991. I know Jenny and her family and have seen her several times over the years since the evening she described. While her memory of that evening is very different from mine, it is now clear to me that her feelings of fear and intimidation are real. While I have never been violent, I have been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades, and I sincerely apologize.

“This is a time of great transition. The voices of the voiceless, those who have been hurt or shamed, deserve and need to be heard. As the corridors of power inevitably make way for a new generation, I don’t want to be a distraction, so I am removing myself from the businesses that I founded. The companies will now be run by a new and diverse generation of extraordinary executives who are moving the culture and consciousness forward. I will convert the studio for yogic science into a not-for-profit center of learning and healing. As for me, I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning and above all to listening.”

Simmons, who is 59, is divorced with two daughters—Ming Lee (born in 2000) and Aoki Lee (born in 2002)—from his marriage to model Kimora Lee. Simmons and Lee started dating in 1992, when she was 17 and he was 35. They were married in 1998, separated in 2006, and officially divorced in 2009.

After Claussen Khalighi’s story was published, Simmons also came under fire when actor Terry Crews posted an email that he received from Simmons in which Simmons advised Crews to back off from pursuing a sexual assault claim against Hollywood agent Adam Venit. In October 2017, Crews went public with his story about Venit aggressively grabbing Crews’ genitals twice at an industry party in 2016. Crews said that Venit called him the day after the incident to apologize and to make the excuse that he was drunk at the party.

Crews initially did not name Venit in telling the story, but a month after going public with his story, he named Venit as the assailant and filed a complaint with the Los Angeles police. Venit, who headed the motion pictures department at the William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency, was placed on leave for about one month since Crews went public. Venit no longer heads the motion pictures department at WME, but he is still working at the company.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal that broke in October 2017, Simmons is one of several high-profile and powerful men whose careers and reputations have been ruined after numerous people have accused them of sexual misconduct that took place over several years. The growing list of shamed celebrities includes Ratner, actor Kevin Spacey, TV journalist Matt Lauer, comedian Louis C.K., TV journalist Charlie Rose, actor Ed Westwick, actor Jeffrey Tambor and TV journalist Mark Halperin. All have lost jobs and/or business deals as a result of these stories being made public. Many other prominent men, although not as famous, have also been ousted from their positions of power in October and November 2017. Amazon Studios, DC Comics, National Public Radio, Nickelodeon, Pixar, Vox Media and Warner Bros. Television are just some of the entertainment and media companies that have had massive shake-ups behind the scenes after high-ranking men were fired, resigned, or were placed on leave for sexual misconduct.

Jeffrey Tambor scandal: Emmy-winning actor quits ‘Transparent’ after being accused of sexual misconduct

November 20, 2017

Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman in "Transparent" — Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman in “Transparent” (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios)

by Colleen McGregor

Emmy-winning actor Jeffrey Tambor has quit Amazon Studios’ comedy series “Transparent” after being accused of sexual harassment. On “Transparent,”Tambor played Maura Pfefferman, a transgender divorced mother whose family is dealing with her trans identity. It is believed the show will go on without Tambor, but it has not yet been announced how the Maura Pfefferman character will be written off of the show. “Transparent’s” fourth season is supposed to premiere in 2018. Tambor, who is 73, won several awards for his role on “Transparent,” including an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics’ Choice Award. He has three sons and a daughter with his wife Kasia and multiple daughters from previous relationships.

The first allegations against Tambor came to light on November 8, 2017, when his former assistant Van Barnes posted a private message on her Facebook page, where she wrote that the actor “repeatedly propositioned her, made lewd comments, groped her and threatened to sue her if she spoke up.”

Tambor then issued a statement saying, “I am deeply sorry if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone. But the fact is, for all my flaws, I am not a predator and the idea that someone might see me in that way is more distressing than I can express.”

On November 16, 2017, transgender actress Trace Lysette accused Tambor of being “sexually aggressive” with her by rubbing up against her without her consent and making lewd comments while they were working together in 2015. On November 19, 2017, Tambor announced that he was quitting “Transparent.”

This is the second major sexual-harassment scandal to hit Amazon Studios in as many months. In October 2017, Roy Price was forced to resign as head of Amazon Studios after it was made public that, in 2015, he made unwanted sexual advances on a female producer of the Amazon series “The Man in the High Castle.” Price also allegedly had other troubling incidents involving female Amazon employees that led to his departure.

The downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in October 2017 seems to have had a domino effect in business and politics, as more men in powerful positions are being publicly accused of sexual misconduct. Since the Weinstein scandal (in which the Miramax Films/The Weinstein Company co-founder was accused of sexual assaulting and raping several women), other high-profile people have have lost their jobs and/or have had their careers ruined by allegations of sexual misconduct. Those in the entertainment or media industry whose reputations have been forever tarnished include actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K. and TV journalist Charlie Rose. In most cases, they have issued public apologies but said they thought these sexual encounters were consensual.

Louis C.K. scandal: Comedian admits he sexually harassed women; his career is ruined as he loses lucrative business deals

November 10, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon at the Tribeca TV Festival’s sneak peek of “Better Things” Season 2 at Cinepolis Chelsea in New York City on September 22, 2017. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)

Emmy-winning comedian Louis C.K. has admitted that “those stories are true” that he committed sexual misconduct by asking several women (who were co-workers or colleagues) if he could masturbate or expose his penis in front of them. In a statement issued on November 10, 2017, Louis C.K. (whose real name is Louis Székely) expressed regret that he abused his power, and said he was remorseful that his actions hurt the women he mistreated, his friends, loved ones and other people. The allegations were first reported in a New York Times article (published on November 9, 2017) that detailed experiences from five women who said that Louis C.K. sexually propositioned them by showing them his penis without their consent and/or asked if he could masturbate in front of them.

After the New York Times article was published, the backlash against Louis C.K. was swift and severe: FX, HBO and Netflix have all issued statements saying that they will not work with him anymore. The Orchard, the distributor of his film “I Love You, Daddy,” cancelled the movie’s New York City premiere (which was scheduled to take place on November 9, 2017), and has decided not to release the movie. (In the movie, which was written and directed by Louis C.K., one of the characters in the movie has a penchant for masturbating in front of people.) In addition, several public appearances from Louis C.K. have been cancelled.

The 50-year-old entertainer is known for his raunchy stand-up comedy routine, in which he often talks about sex and sometimes mentions that his addiction to porn caused problems in his marriage. Louis C.K. and artist Alix Bailey got divorced in 2008, after 13 years of marriage. The former spouses have two daughters together.

Louis C.K. is among the growing list of celebrities whose reputations and careers have been ruined in 2017, after several people went to the media to accuse them of sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct. Entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and filmmaker Brett Ratner are just three examples of those who have been accused of committing physical sexual assault in addition to verbal harassment. Weinstein and Ratner have denied any sexual contact that was non-consensual. Spacey made an apology to his first public accuser (actor Anthony Rapp, who told BuzzFeed his story), but Spacey claimed to not remember making any sexual advances on Rapp, who said he was 14 when a 26-year-old Spacey tried to have sex with him in 1986. Weinstein and Spacey have issued public statements saying that they are seeking treatment for their harmful actions that led to these problems. It remains to be seen if there will be any criminal charges or lawsuits filed against the accused as a result of the accusers going public.

Actress/writer/producer Pamela Adlon, who worked with Louis C.K. on the FX comedy shows “Louie” and “Better Things,” issued this statement on November 10, 2017: “Hi. I’m here. I have to say something. It’s so important. My family and I are devastated and in shock after the admission of abhorrent behavior by my friend and partner, Louis C.K. I feel deep sorrow and empathy for the women who have come forward. I am asking for privacy at this time for myself and my family. I am processing and grieving and hope to say more as soon as I am able.”

Although FX has cut ties with Louis C.K. and his Pig Newton production company, which co-created “Better Things,” the show has not yet been taken off of the network’s schedule.

Brett Ratner scandal: Business relationships with Playboy, Warner Bros. affected after director is accused of sexual misconduct

November 1, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

Director/producer Brett Ratner is under fire after being accused by at least six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, of sexual misconduct, as detailed in a Los Angeles Times article. According to The Wrap: “Playboy Enterprises is putting all projects with Ratner’s production company, Ratpac Entertainment, on hold. This includes the biopic on Playboy founder Hugh Hefner that Ratner was attached to direct and produce … Jared Leto was attached to play Hefner in the film, which was a co-production between Ratpac and Playboy/Alta Loma Entertainment and had Hefner attached as executive producer prior to Hefner’s death on September 27. Ratner, who is 48, was also planning to develop a reboot of Hefner’s 1960s variety show ‘Playboy After Dark.'”

A Playboy spokesperson issued this statement to The Wrap: “We are deeply troubled to learn about the accusations against Brett Ratner. We find this kind of behavior completely unacceptable. We are putting all further development of our projects with RatPac Entertainment on hold until we are able to review the situation further.”

Warner Bros. Pictures, which has a co-financing deal with RatPac, issued a statement saying that it is reviewing its relationship with Ratner.

Munn claims that when she was visiting the set of Ratner’s 2004 film “After the Sunset,” she was asked to bring food to a trailer, where she found Ratner, who masturbated in front of her. She detailed the encounter in her 2010 book, “Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek,” but she did not name Ratner at the time. After the book was published, Ratner claimed that he had a brief consensual sexual relationship with Munn, but later he admitted it was a lie, and that he and Munn never had sex and never dated each other. In the Los Angeles Times article, Henstridge says that Ratner forced her to perform oral sex on her in the 1990s when they were hanging out and watching a movie together.

Ratner has denied these stories through his attorney, Marty Singer, who says that Ratner has never had any sexual misconduct claims against him that resulted in a lawsuit, settlement or arrest. Ratner got his start in the entertainment industry as a director of music videos; over the years, he has worked with artists such as Mariah Carey, Jodeci and Michael Jackson. Ratner has directed such films as the “Rush Hour” movies, “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Red Dragon,” “Tower Heist” and “Hercules.” As a producer, Ratner’s credits include “The Revenant,” “Horrible Bosses,” “Horrible Bosses 2” and “Mirror Mirror.”

This isn’t the first public scandal for Ratner. In 2011, Ratner was hired to produce the 84th Academy Awards in 2012 with Don Mischer, but Ratner resigned on November 8, 2011, after being quoted as saying “rehearsal is for fags.” Brian Grazer replaced Ratner on the production. Eddie Murphy, who was set to host the show, also exited the production, and he was replaced by Billy Crystal.