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Legendary singer Bob Dylan has recently been accused of sexual abuse of a 12-year old girl back in 1965 over a 6-week span between April and May. The lawsuit states that he exploited his celebrity status to induce the victim under the influence of alcohol and drugs and them sexually abuse her repeatedly, besides threatening her later to remain silent. A spokesperson for Bob Dylan has declared the “claims to be untrue and will be vigorously defended”.
After dozens of women both celebrities and non-celebs came forth to accuse Harvey Weinstein of varying degrees of grave sexual misconduct, including sexual assault and rape, the Hollywood movie mogul was not only fired from his company, the Academy panel and lost major assets in lawsuits, but has also been to sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Bill Cosby’s avuncular public image was shattered after he was accused by almost 60 women of rape, drug-induced rape, sexual battery and even sexual abuse of minors, and was initially sentenced to almost ten years, only to be later released by a Pennsylvania State Supreme Court bench on technical grounds of his ‘due process’ rights being violated.
Almost 40 men have come forth with allegations of sexual misconduct and/or harassment by Kevin Spacey, but he’s only been arraigned of one charge dating back to 2016 due to others either preceding the statute of limitations or some accusers unwilling to take matters further. The aftermath is that the star has turned into persona non grata in Hollywood and been fired from all current and future projects, with nobody willing to work with him henceforth.
After eight different women either working in Morgan Freeman’s production company or in some capacity in his movies or having met him as entertainment journalists accused the Oscar winner of inappropriate behavior and harassment. In his response, the star issued a formal apology, stating, “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected – that was never my intent. I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports. All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humour. I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women – and men – feel appreciated and at ease around me. As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologized Thursday and will continue to apologize to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally. But I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false.”
CNN reported that the Los Angeles District Attorney office was “reviewing a sex crime case” from the 1990s against Sylvester Stallone. The action icon’s later attorney told CNN that the superstar “categorically denies” the allegations, with his client remaining steadfast that he had a “consensual relationship” with his accuser back in the 80s.
TMZ had reported that a woman alleged that Jamie Foxx “slapped her in the face with his penis” after she turned down his request for oral sex. The case is pending and the actor’s attorney had issued a statement that read: “Jamie emphatically denies that this incident ever occurred, and he will be filing a report with the Las Vegas Police Department against the woman for filing a false police report against him. The first time Foxx became aware of this woman’s absurd claims about an incident that supposedly occurred 16 years ago was when TMZ contacted his representatives about this story.”
One of Michael Douglas’ former female employees Susan Braudy, a writer, who had worked in his production company for three years in the 80s, accused him of sexual harassment and indulging in “sexually charged” conversations with her against her wishes, including having allegedly masturbated before her on one occasion. The Oscar winner has cited her claims to be “an unfortunate and complete fabrication”.
X-Men Director Bryan Singer has been hounded by allegations of sexual misconduct of minors since 1997, after the parents of an underage extra on the sets of his movie, Apt Pupil, sued him for the same, with the lawsuit also claiming that he exhibited similar inappropriate behaviour with other minors on the set. Years later, four of the boys who grew up, recounted their allegations in a damning article in The Atlantic, after which the famed filmmaker issued a statement on Instagram that read: “I have known for some time that Esquire magazine (The Atlantic story was originally going to appear in Esquire.) may publish a negative article about me. They have contacted my friends, colleagues, and people I don’t even know. In today’s climate where people’s careers are being harmed by mere accusations, what Esquire is attempting to do is a reckless disregard for the truth, making assumptions that are fictional and irresponsible.” Considering that he has never been arrested or even charged with any crime, the allegations have had little to no effect on his Hollywood career.
Post the high point of his maiden Golden Globe win in 2018, James Franco immediately hit an all-time low when various women, including actress Ally Sheedy, alleged sexual misconduct by him, followed by five of the women narrating their claims in vivid details to the Los Angeles Times, accusing the actor of sexually exploitative behaviour. Addressing the allegations on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, the actor had said, “Look, in my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I’ve done. I have to do that to maintain my well-being. I do it whenever I know that there is something wrong or needs to be changed, I make it a point to do it. The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long. So I don’t want to, you know, shut them down in any way. It’s, I think, a good thing and I support it.” While the ramifications haven’t been as damaging to his career as that of some others, there have been a loss of few plum projects, endorsements and award nominations.