Ex-PBS host Tavis Smiley just got hit with a countersuit from his former employer, and it lays out the allegations of sexual misconduct … which include sex with employees and sending porn to coworkers. PBS filed its suit Friday in Washington, DC…
Showing posts with label Misconduct. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misconduct. Show all posts
Friday, March 23, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Jamie Luner from "Melrose Place" Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Jamie Luner – you know her as Lexi Sterling on “Melrose Place” — has been accused of sexual misconduct with an underage male … TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … a man in his 30s filed a police report with the LAPD…
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Meryl Streep Blasts Harvey Weinstein for Using Her in Defense of Sexual Misconduct Suit
Meryl Streep’s pissed Harvey Weinstein used her for his defense in one of the class action lawsuits against him … and she’s not having any of it. The Oscar-winning actress says just because it’s true that Weinstein wasn’t sexually…
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Paul Marciano Steps Aside from Guess Amid Misconduct Investigation
Guess co-founder Paul Marciano is giving up his day-to-day responsibilities as a key executive of his fashion company while it completes a misconduct investigation. Guess Inc. made the announcement Tuesday, which comes nearly two weeks after Kate…
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Steve Wynn Resigns as CEO of Wynn Resorts Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Steve Wynn is out as CEO of the company he founded, announcing he’s stepping down amid allegations of sexual misconduct against him … TMZ has learned. The casino magnate resigned Tuesday as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Wynn says ……
Thursday, February 1, 2018
TMZ Live: Kate Upton: Accuses Fashion Mogul Of Sexual Misconduct
ON TODAY’S SHOW J Lo Caught In Sexual Misconduct Scandal Crosshairs Kylie Jenner: Enormous New Mega-Mansion Quavo From Migos Accused Of Club Assault Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez: Breakup Rumors
Kate Upton Accuses Guess Co-Founder Paul Marciano of Sexual Misconduct
Kate Upton has accused the man behind fashion brand Guess of treating women in an inappropriate manner.
On Wednesday morning, the world famous model took to Twitter in order to accuse chief creative officer and former co-CEO Paul Marciano of sexual harassment.
Marciano has been a major influence at Guess for years and remains a prominent player in its everyday operations.
Much to the chagrin of Upton, as she writes below:
“It’s disappointing that such an iconic women’s brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director.”
The newlywed ended the tweet with a potentially telling hashtag, implying that she was a victim of Marciano’s unacceptable behavior by Tweeting:
#metoo.
This hashtag, of course, is commonly used these days by women who have been the victims of sexual harassment or misconduct.
While it’s often employed by females in the entertainment industry (after acres Alyssa Milano made it popular once again several months ago), many women around social media in general have also joined the movement.
The impressive viral movement aims to shed light on years and years of abuse, intimidation, harassment and assault that have been covered up by both Hollywood and the media.
Back to Upton, however:
Minutes after sending her initial message, Upton shared the same Tweet on Instagram, along with the caption:
“He shouldn’t be allowed to use his power in the industry to sexually and emotionally harass women #metoo.”
Justin Verlander, the Houston Astros starting pitcher who Upton married in November, also shared his wife’s allegation on Twitter.
Upton is arguably the most famous supermodel in the world.
She became a celebrity spokesmodel for Guess in 2011, following in the footsteps of such major names as the following:
Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford. Most recent faces of Guess include Gigi Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, Camila Cabello and Jennifer Lopez.
Marciano, meanwhile, co-founded the fashion company in 1981 and has served as its executive chairman and chief creative officer since August 2015.
He stepped down that year from his position as the brand’s chief executive officer, but, if anything, has been more involved in a daily basis ever since making this transition.
Guess has yet to respond to Upton’s claims.
And Upton has not provided any further detail regarding what Marciano has done to merit said claims.
We’ll update this story as more news when/if it breaks.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Steve Wynn: Dozens Accuse Las Vegas Mogul of Sexual Misconduct
Of the various famous men accused of being sex monsters in recent months, many have been more famous but arguably none have been as influential as Steve Wynn.
He’s a billionaire. He’s an outspoken conservative and the finance chair for the Republican National Committee. He’s a Las Vegas casino mogul.
And, according to dozens of accusers, his pattern of alleged sexual misconduct goes back for decades.
The Wall Street Journal reports that billionaire Steve Wynn has engaged in behaviors for years and years that create a working culture of sexual harassment.
According to dozens of current and former employees of Wynn Resorts, Steve Wynn’s demands for sex from female employees came under the guise of manicures, makeup applications, and massages that were performed privately in his offices.
It is there that these numerous sources say that Steve Wynn would exert pressure upon these women to engage in sex acts at his behest.
The Wall Street Journal describes employees conspiring to invent fake appointments that various female coworkers might have so that they could avoid spending time alone in their CEO’s office.
One woman recounted her story in which she alleges that Wynn forced her to have sex.
While working as a manicurist at Wynn’s flagship casino in 2005, she says that Wynn pressured her to remove her clothing.
She says that he then relentlessly pressured her to lie naked on the massage table in his office.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to coworkers of hers who remember her returning to where they were, looking visibly shaken and upset, immediately after the alleged incident.
That sounds like a horrifying abuse of power.
The Wall Street Journal says that they were the ones who reached out to employees, not the other way around.
They spoke to over 150 current and former employees in order to hear personal accounts and seek confirmation from others. We can only guess which stories they may have heard but were unable to confirm.
Citing Steve Wynn’s powerful influence throughout the Las Vegas strip, most of the employees who spoke were hesitant to speak on the record, worrying that it could hurt their careers.
At least one previous alleged incident with a manicurist led to a lawsuit and payout of $ 7.5 million.
All in all, the culture described by the report is one in which some female employees would hide in the bathroom if they knew that Steve Wynn was in the building.
In response to these allegations, Wynn’s company issued a lengthy statement.
Interestingly, both he and his company seem to believe that this report is part of a conspiracy by his two-time ex-wife, Elain Wynn (1963-1986, 1991-2010).
“The recent allegations about Mr. Wynn reflect allegations made in court hearings by Mr. Wynn’s ex-wife, Elaine Wynn.”
That’s part of a statement by Wynn Resorts, which also says:
“It is clear that Mr. Wynn’s ex-wife has sought to use a negative public relations campaign to achieve what she has been unable to do in the courtroom: tarnish the reputation of Mr. Wynn in an attempt to pressure a revised divorce settlement from him.”
The statement also iterates that Wynn Resorts is committed to a safe workplace.
Additionally, Wynn himself says that “the idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous.”
We don’t know what Steve Wynn’s wife Andrea Wynn (formerly Andrea Hissom) thinks of all of this, but we do know what stockholders think.
Shares in Wynn Resorts fell by 5% … and then it was 8% … and then 9%.
The presentation of these accusations as a smear campaign is curious, as one would imagine that it would require enlisting over 150 accomplices and also hoodwinking The Wall Street Journal, a notoriously conservative news outlet that one would imagine would take extra care when accusing one of the nation’s wealthiest Republicans.
It is difficult to gauge what the fallout from this will be for Wynn, professionally. Las Vegas is not Hollywood.
Perhaps only time will tell if he’ll be ousted from any of his many, many business and political interests.
Fiona Apple Says Sexual Misconduct Rampant in Music, All for Time"s Up at Grammys
Fiona Apple insists the movie industry’s got nothing on the music biz when it comes to rampant sexual misconduct — which explains her shocked reaction to us even asking. We got the singer at LAX Thursday and asked her about the planned…
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Ann Curry Breaks Silence on Matt Lauer Misconduct, Firing
Ann Curry did her best to take the high road on Wednesday.
Sitting down with CBS This Morning to address a number of topics, Curry was asked early on about her former colleague, Matt Lauer.
Despite sharing a desk for many years, it was an open secret that Curry and Lauer never exactly got along well.
When Curry was fired five-plus years ago by NBC, most insiders believed it was Lauer who forced her out – and most viewers noted that she didn’t really acknowledge her co-anchor during her farewell address on air.
Fast forward to November of 2017… and Lauer getting fired under even more scandalous circumstances.
He’s been accused of sexual harassment and misconduct and even rape.
Some people remain shocked by these charges, truly taken aback that Lauer could even do such things.
But Curry is not one of these people.
“I can tell you that I am not surprised by the allegations,” the veteran journalist said flat-out this morning.
“Do you believe that Matt Lauer abused his power?” Norah O’Donnell asked.
Replied Curry, afraid of saying too much:
“Now I’m walking down that road and I’m trying not to hurt people. And I know what it’s like to be publicly humiliated.
“I never did anything wrong to be publicly humiliated and I don’t want to cause that kind of pain to somebody else.”
Fair enough, of course.
Like we said above, she really did try to take the high road.
But…
“I can say that – because you are asking me a very direct question – I can say that I would be surprised if many women did not understand that there was a climate of verbal harassment that existed,” Curry continued.
“I would be surprised if someone said that they didn’t see that. So, it was verbal sexual harassment.”
Matt Lauer and Ann Curry dressed as Prince William and Kate Middleton for Halloween in 2011.
Lauer was let go bt NBC in late November after a colleague accused him of sexual misconduct in the workplace.
At the time, NBC News Chairman Andy Lack sent an email to employees just moments before Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb broke the news on the air.
(Kotb has since replaced Lauer as Guthrie’s permanent co-host.)
Since the initial accusation, multiple reports have been published that alleged Lauer sent underlings sex toys, asked them to perform sex acts and even forced himself on a woman in his office on at least one occasion.
A day after his ousting, Lauer issued the following apology:
There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. 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.
Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.
I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.
Lauer has said very little since then.
Sources say he’s just hanging out around his home in the Hamptons and spending time with his kids.
We can’t imagine he’s ever hired in the television industry again.
And if this is the case, we’d just like to say one thing:
GOOD RIDDANCE!
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Joel Kramer Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Two More Women; Jamie Lee Curtis Speaks Out
Over the weekend, actress Eliza Dushku bravely revealed that she had been molested while filming True Lies at age 12. It’s one of the saddest #MeToo stories, and one that she almost didn’t share with the public.
What caused her to break her silence was learning that the man she named, Joel Kramer, still works in the industry. That he apparently still works with young girls.
Jamie Lee Curtis, who starred in True Lies, is speaking out in response to Dushku’s statement. And, meanwhile, two more accusations have been leveled at Joel Kramer.
Eliza Dushku is known for her roles on shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse and in films like Bring It On. And Tru Calling.
Whether you’re as big a fan as I am or not, reading her account of being gradually groomed and then assaulted as a preteen by the film’s stunt coordinator was heartbreaking.
Hearing that she was “accidentally” injured on set after an adult friend of hers confronted Joel Kramer, who was also responsible for her safety, is a grim reminder that the stakes of reporting sexual assault can be very, very high.
Joel Kramer, the man she accuses of these sickening acts, is still working in the industry. Several years back, he worked regularly on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. And he even worked on the pilot episode of Star Trek Discovery.
It was only when Eliza Dushku realized that he was still responsible for people’s safety — for children’s safety — that she decided to speak out.
At the time of the alleged sexual assault, Eliza Dushku did tell people, including the woman who acted as her legal guardian on the set. That woman says that she reported it to someone “in authority,” but to no avail.
Penning a lengthy essay in The Huffington Post, Jamie Lee Curtis shares that Eliza Dushku told her about this, only many years after the events.
“[Dushku] had shared that story with me privately a few years ago. I was shocked and saddened then and still am today.”
She talks about the particular creepiness that comes when an alleged sexual predator is also in charge of people’s physical safety.
“What compounds the difficulty here is that the stunt coordinator in question was literally in charge of our lives, our safety. Stunts always require an enormous amount of trust and on that movie in particular we all were often suspended by wires and harnesses, very high in the air.”
Eliza Dushku mentions in her own post that her adult friend confronting Joel Kramer was soon followed by Eliza being hospitalized with broken ribs. She does not consider that a coincidence.
Jamie Lee Curtis acknowledges the power given to stunt coordinators.
“In my case, I was suspended under a helicopter by a wire, holding onto the hand of the man who is now being accused of abuse.”
If you’ll recall, Eliza says that he gained her trust and that of her parents, taking her to a hotel with a totally plausible-sounding explanation.
But she says that he put on a movie, emerged naked from the bathroom, and climbed on top of her where she lay on the bed. She was 12, he was 36.
For his part, Joel Kramer has denied the accusations, speaking to Deadline and claiming:
“These are outlandish, manipulated lies. I never sexually molested her. I’m sick to my stomach. It’s not true. I think she’s making this up in her imagination.”
His statement continues:
“This is all lies. Lies, lies, lies. This is just crazy. I treated her like a daughter. We all looked out for her.”
We’re not sure how long those denials are going to hold up, because Eliza Dushku was the first to speak out … but not the only one.
Deadline reports that two more women accuse Joel Kramer of sexual assault.
A stuntwoman who worked for Kramer apparently invited her younger sister and her sister’s friend, both 10th graders in 1997, to the set where she was working. This is when Kramer allegedly lured the girls out to go swimming.
Laura Albert says that Kramer then “pulled his dick out and said, ‘You cannot handle this."” And then allegedly swam towards the girls.
Albert continues, alleging: “My sister ended up leaving and she left her friend there with Joel. Joel had sex with the 16-year-old girl. She was 16. He was 39. His room number was 424.”
Joel claims that he didn’t know the girl’s age, that he was haunted by the knowledge … while pointing out that she was legally old enough to consent in that state.
Another stuntwoman has come forward but remained anonymous, accusing Joel Kramer of having assaulted her in the late ’70s or early ’80s.
She says that a group of stunt performers were getting together for drinks, and she ended up riding in Joel’s vehicle, where the alleged assault took place.
“Instead of driving me to the other place, he drove us up into the hills on the south side of Ventura Boulevard into a quiet residential area. He pulled his vehicle over, unzipped his pants, pulled out his penis.”
She clarifies that she was not looking to date him. They were only supposed to drive to meet up with their friends. She describes the alleged assault:
“He grabbed me by the back of my head and forced my face down onto his penis and came in my mouth. He then released my head and cleaned himself up.”
If her memory of the incident seems fuzzy, we should note that trauma can make certain details painfully clear in your memory, but make other memories seem vague. (Some argue that impaired memory of trauma is a survival instinct)
“I must have [cleaned up] as well. I really don’t remember if he gave me tissues. I cannot remember if words were exchanged of any type, but he did drive me to the other place, where the group had gone.”
Reporting sexual assault is bad now, but it was worse in the ’70s and ’80s.
“I did not tell anyone, because I was frightened, scared and ashamed. I also knew that if I were to report this to the stunt group, the police or SAG, I would have no chance in a career as a stunt woman.”
Joel Kramer calls this accusation a “fabrication.”
Kramer has been in the business for decades. We can’t help but wonder how many more women will come forward with horror stories.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Aziz Ansari Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Assault
Aziz Ansari is the latest big name to be accused of sexual misconduct.
In the case of the former Parks and Recreation star, and current creator of Netflix’s Master of None, an unnamed photographer has come out and accused Ansari of going way too far on a date last year.
According to a series of text messages between Ansari and this alleged victim, the incident occurred in September.
The woman, who is referred to a “Grace” in her account to Babe.net, says she and Ansari bonded at an after-Emmy Awards party due to their shared passion for photography.
They later went out and ended up back at his apartment.
Grace says she felt “uncomfortable” with how quickly Ansari undressed himself and then her.
Within moments of their first kiss, Grace says Ansari went to get a condom.
“I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill,"” recounts Grace, adding that the actor then briefly performed oral sex on her before asking her to do the same to him.
“It was really quick. Everything was pretty much touched and done within ten minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex,” Grace now details.
Ansari would frequently place his fingers in Grace’s mouth and then try to “finger” her vagina, she says, emphasizing that he also forced her hand onto his penis.
Often.
“He probably moved my hand to his dick five to seven times,” she says. “He really kept doing it after I moved it away.”
Grace describes the troubling encounter as seeming like a “game” to Ansari, who she alleges kept following her around his apartment.
She says she gave him repeated “verbal and non-verbal” clues that she was NOT interested in going any further.
She eventually excused herself to go into the bathroom and collect herself.
After relaying her discomfort to Ansari, she thought the possibility of sex was finally no longer an issue in his mind and she stuck around for a little while longer.
But after the star again motioned for her to give him a blow job and made out with her once more, she left the residence in tears.
“I cried the whole ride home. At that point I felt violated,” says Grace.
The following day, Grace texted Ansari.
“Last night might have been fun for you it wasn’t for me,” she said in a message that she saved and has now made public.
“When we got back to your place, you ignored clear, non-verbal cues; you kept going with advances. You had to have noticed I was uncomfortable,” she continued.
Ansari then replied and did apologize for his actions.
The woman says she decided to come forward after she saw Ansari wearing a Time’s Up pin at the Golden Globes, supporting the foundation that has been set up to support victims of sexual assault.
Ansari won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV Series for his lead role on Master of None at the event.
Grace says her friends helped her grapple with the aftermath of her evening with Ansari.
“It took a really long time for me to validate this as sexual assault,” she told Babe.
“I was debating if this was an awkward sexual experience or sexual assault. And that’s why I confronted so many of my friends and listened to what they had to say, because I wanted validation that it was actually bad.”
Concludes Grace:
“I believe that I was taken advantage of by Aziz.”
“I was not listened to and ignored. It was by far the worst experience with a man I’ve ever had.”
Saturday, January 13, 2018
James Franco, Universities Where He Taught Say No Sexual Misconduct Complaints
James Franco is facing 4 sexual misconduct complaints from some of his former acting students at Studio 4 and Playhouse West, so we decided to call around and see if anyone lodged complaints at the various schools where the actor taught, and it…
Friday, January 12, 2018
James Franco: "In a Bad Place" Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations
At last night’s Critics Choice Awards, James Franco won the award for best actor for his performance in The Disaster Artist, a film that he also wrote and directed.
That title has taken on added meaning this week, as the award season that should have been the peak of Franco’s long career in Hollywood has instead been one long catastrophe for the actor and filmmaker.
Of course, if there’s any truth to the allegations against him, then Franco has no one to blame for this precipitous downfall but himself.
The unraveling of Franco’s career and carefully-cultivated image as the heir apparent to Johnny Depp’s “eccentric but lovable artsy weirdo” image began on Sunday night when the 39-year-old took home one of the night’s biggest prizes at the 2018 Golden Globes.
During the ceremony, actress Ally Sheedy posted a series of tweets implying that Franco had behaved inappropriately while directing her in a 2014 Off-Broadway play.
Sheedy later deleted the tweets, but her example prompted other women who claim to have been mistreated by Franco to come forward with their own stories.
Now, less than a week after the actor kicked off what looked to be a dominant award season run, no fewer than five women have accused Franco of sexual misconduct.
The allegations run the gamut from coercing a young woman into performing oral sex to becoming angry when actresses filming a scene in a strip club refused to perform topless.
Franco sat for interviews with both Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers this week, explaining to both hosts that he denies the allegations against him, but supports the right of his accusers to go public with their version of events.
At first, it looked as though Franco would continue making the media rounds in order to improve his film’s chances with Oscar voters.
Last night, however, the actor skipped the Critics Choice ceremony, and actor Walton Goggins accepted the best actor award on his behalf.
“He’s in a really bad place, so bad that he changed his phone number,” a source close to the situation tells People magazine.
“His close friends are trying to be there for him but it’s been hard – he’s only talking to a select group of people. For now, he’s just hiding out.”
Speaking with Meyers on Tuesday night, Franco stated that he’s refrained from actively defending himself so as not to discourage women who have been abused or suffered unfair treatment from coming forward.
“There are people that need to be heard,” the actor said.
“I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say, just because I believe in it that much.”
He added:
“So if I have to take a knock because I’m not going to try and actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much.”
We will further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
James Franco Accused of Sexual Misconduct By 5 Women; Actor Continues to Make Media Rounds
At this point, we’re sadly unsurprised when one of Hollywood’s most influential men is accused of some form of sexual misconduct.
The cycle of accusation, apology, and fallout has become all too familiar and, for the most part, fairly easy to predict.
But as award season kicks into high gear, James Franco is defying convention by refusing to step away from the spotlight or even apologize for his alleged past behavior.
On Sunday night, Franco won a Golden Globe for his performance in The Disaster Artist, a film that he also wrote and directed.
His celebration was short-lived, however, due number of tweets posted by actress Ally Sheedy that hinted at sexual misconduct on Franco’s part.
Shortly thereafter, a woman named Violet Paley came forward with allegations that Franco had sexually assaulted her when she was just 17 years old.
In the 48 hours that followed, four other women came forward
“I was talking to him, all of a sudden his penis was out,” Paley said.
“I got really nervous, and I said, ‘Can we do this later?’ He was kind of nudging my head down, and I just didn’t want him to hate me, so I did it.”
Paley went on to date Franco, but says when she reflects on the incident, she feels she was coerced into performing oral sex despite feeling uncomfortable about it.
“I would say, ‘No, stop, get out of my car.’ The power dynamic was really off,” she tells the
Paley says she emailed Franco after the Harvey Weinstein sex scandals surfaced to make him aware that she felt she had been mistreated.
She says he didn’t respond right away, but eventually called to try and make amends.
Sarah Tither-Kaplan, an acting student at Franco’s Studio 4 film school, also elaborated on allegations against the 39-year-old today.
Tither-Kaplan claims that whle shooting the 2014 film The Long Home, Franco removed protective plastic guards that covered actresses’ vaginas while he simulated oral sex.
“I got it in my head pretty quickly that, okay, you don’t say ‘no’ to this guy,” Tither-Kaplan said.
Hilary Dusome and Natalie Chmiel, two other students of Franco’s, detailed an incident in which the actor allegedly got angry when no actresses would agree to go topless while filming a scene in a strip club.
“I felt like I was selected for something based on my hard work and my merit, and when I realized it was because I have nice [breasts], it was pretty clear that was not the case,” Dusome said.
“I don’t think he started teaching with bad intentions, but he went down a bad path and damaged a lot of people in the process.”
In the wake of the allegations, Franco has continued to make talk show and other media appearances in hopes of improving his film’s chances of securing several possible Oscar nominations.
On Tuesday night, Franco denied responsibility in an interview with Stephen Colbert.
Wednesday, he appeared on Seth Meyers’ show, where he again declined to admit to any wrongdoing, but stated that he supports the rights of women to come forward with such accusations.
“This is a conversation that obviously needs to be had,” he told Meyers.
“There are people, women and others, who have not been a part of this conversation and I truly believe that they need to be. So I support that.”
Asked if he had contacted Sheedy to ask why she felt compelled to publicly call him out, Franco became visibly uncomfortable.
“I don’t know. I … It was so shocking. I don’t know. I just … I guess I’m just letting it be,” he said.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
James Franco Responds to Sexual Misconduct Accusations on Stephen Colbert"s "Late Show"
James Franco had some hand-wringing moments with Stephen Colbert as he tried to address accusations on social media that he sexually assaulted and harassed women. ‘The Late Show’ almost felt like “Dr. Phil” as the actor took issue with several…
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Stan Lee: Comics Legend Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Unless you’re a film buff or actually work in the entertainment industry, a few of the sex monsters named in #MeToo stories probably prompted some googling. Even of the names you recognized, you probably only liked a couple.
But sometimes, even the most beloved figures are accused of doing heinous, inexcusable things.
Stan Lee, the comics legends who is almost synonymous with superheroes, has been accused of sexual misconduct.
Stan Lee was the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics for many years. He’s credited with having created Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Incredible Hulk amoung countless other superheroes.
He has one of, and perhaps the, most recognizable names in the entire comics industry.
His cameos in most live-action Marvel properties are beloved by fans.
For years, when the 95-year-old Stan Lee’s name has trended on Twitter, fans have tensed and then breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that he’s still alive. A lot of celebrity deaths get “announced” on Twitter.
This time, though he’s still very much alive, fans didn’t get to breathe a sign of relief. This news might be worse than fans had feared.
The Daily Mail reports that Stan Lee is accused of multiple forms of sexual misconduct directs towards much younger women at his L.A. mansion.
A nursing company that was providing at-home care for him (he is, again, 95 years old) reportedly stopped working with him after receiving a series of complaints about his inappropriate behavior.
Young female nurses alleged that he:
-groped them
-demanded oral sex from them in the shower and asked to be “pleasured” in the bedroom
-walked around his home naked while the nurses were present
According to The Daily Mail‘s source:
“Stan is an old man who has seemingly lost his way.”
That implies that he wasn’t always like this, which is great to hear.
“He doesn’t seem to care what people think of him, he’s lost his filter.”
Suggesting that this horrible behavior was brought about by dementia rather than the sort of power trip that accused monsters like Harvey Weinstein seemed to enjoy.
“There has been a stream of young nurses coming to his house in West Hollywood and he has been sexually harassing them. He finds it funny.”
It’s not funny. We have a feeling that the Stan Lee 10 years ago, or 30, wouldn’t have found it funny.
“He walks around naked and is vulgar towards the women, he asks them for oral sex in the shower and wants to be pleasured in his bedroom. He uses the word p—y and f–k in their presence.”
The source continues:
“He’s also very handsy and has groped some of the women, it’s unacceptable behavior, especially from an icon like Stan.”
No one should be groped without their consent, by anyone.
“The owner at the nursing company has openly said to people that Stan has sexually harassed every single nurse that has been to the house.”
It sounds like she was warning people.
“That got back to Lee and sparked this whole thing.”
There’s a cease-and-desist letter that the nursing company has received, and we’ll get to that in a moment.
“It appears the owner, who has nursed Stan herself, eventually decided enough was enough.”
Stan Lee now has nurses provided by a new nursing company; these nurses are tasks with taking his blood pressure, bringing him food and drinks, and ensuring that he takes his medication.
Stan Lee’s attorney Tom Lallas, who has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the nursing company from which these claims originate, says:
“Mr. Lee categorically denies these false and despicable allegations and he fully intends to fight to protect his stellar good name and impeccable character.”
So, in other words, Tom Lallas is doing his job.
“We are not aware of anyone filing a civil action, or reporting these issues to the police, which for any genuine claim would be the more appropriate way for it to be handled.”
Not everyone goes to police. Or wants to go public. Did you know that one of Roy Moore’s accusers had her house burned down? Stan Lee is a very popular man with a lot of passionate fans.
“Instead, Mr. Lee has received demands to pay money and threats that if he does not do so, the accuser will go to the media.”
That’s … something that we’d like to hear more of. Who allegedly tried to blackmail him, exactly? Which of the many, many nurses?
“Mr Lee will not be extorted or blackmailed, and will pay no money to anyone because he has done absolutely nothing wrong.”
Stan Lee’s wife Joan Lee passed away just last summer at 93.
Stan Lee and the media empire that he helped to create — remember, the Marvel movie franchise is the most financially successful film franchise in history — has a lot of passionate fans who are going to have strong opinions.
To us, based upon these allegations, this sounds like a sad story. Not a story of a monster, though we’ve heard so many of those recently, but a man who has literally lost his self-control.
And if someone really did try to shake him down? That would be terrible and cruel.
No matter what, this is an awful story.
Monday, January 8, 2018
James Franco: Ally Sheedy Hints at Sexual Misconduct, Slams Golden Globes Win
One of the most buzzed-about moments from last night’s Golden Globes ceremony did not involve Oprah or Natalie Portman.
When James Franco was awarded the prize for for best actor in a musical or comedy, he received some unexpected backlash.
Franco called to the stage Tommy Wiseau, the director and real life director behind his role in The Disaster Artist.
but shut the enigmatic filmmaker down when he attempted to make a speech.
Wiseau was reportedly not happy about being publicly rebuked, and sources say he made his displeasure clear after the ceremony.
And it seems he wasn’t the only one who was outraged by Franco’s victory on Sunday night.
Tweeting from an unverified account, Ally Sheedy, the actress perhaps best known for her role in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, weighed in.
She hinted that sexual misconduct on Franco’s part played a part in her decision to leave the film industry.
“James Franco just won,” Sheedy wrote.
“Please never ask me why I left the film/tv business.”
The tweet was one of several in which Sheedy was critical of Franco and the awards themselves.
“Why is a man hosting?” Sheedy tweeted at the start of the evening.
“Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much. Nite love ya.”
Shortly thereafter, she added:
“Ok wait. Bye. James Franco and Christian Bale at a table on @goldenglobes #MeToo”
Sheedy deleted the tweets after Vanity Fair and several other outlets reported that she has implicitly accused Franco of sexual misconduct.
She worked with Franco in the 2014 play The Long Shrift, but she has never before publicly suggested that he behaved inappropriately.
This, of course, is not the first time that Franco has found himself enmeshed in a sex scandal.
Also in 2014, the actor was accused of attempting to seduce a 17-year-old girl he met online and attempting to arrange an illicit rendezvous.
He later joked about the incident while hosting Saturday Night Live.
Contacted by several media outlets, Sheedy declined to comment further on her tweets.
To some observers, this silence suggests that either there’s more to that story, or that she too was victimized by Franco.
We’ll have further details on this developing story as more information becomes available.
Friday, January 5, 2018
Paul Haggis Accused of Rape by 2 Women, 2 More Claim Sexual Misconduct
Paul Haggis — the Oscar-winning director and writer of “Crash” — is being accused of sexual misconduct by 4 different women … including 2 rapes. Haggis was sued in December for allegedly raping film publicist Haleigh Breest in 2013 at his…
Louis C.K. is Sexual Misconduct Free at FX, Says Network Honcho
Louis C.K. did not commit any acts of sexual misconduct during his time at FX … according to the network’s own investigation, anyway. FX CEO John Landgraf told reporters Friday they “did not find any issues, complaints or incidents of misconduct…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)