Terry Crews Reveals He Was Sexually Assaulted By a ‘High-Level’ Hollywood Exec
It’s been an upsetting and ugly day in the entertainment industry. The New Yorker unveiled a massive, in-depth exposé detailing even more graphic allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against Harvey Weinstein from more than a dozen cases. Then The New York Times published a second explosive report following last week’s story in which women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, shared stories about their experiences with harassment by the studio mogul. More women are finally beginning to come forward with painful stories of sexual harassment and assault, but the latest person to speak out isn’t a woman, but a male actor allegedly assaulted by a male executive.
Terry Crews took to Twitter on Tuesday to respond to the allegations against Weinstein, mentioning that the recent news has given him “PTSD” for a similar thing that happened to him. In a series of tweets, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star recounted an incident in which a “high-level Hollywood executive” approached him and his wife, then, as Crews writes, “groped my privates.”
The actor said he wanted to “kick his a– right then and there” but knew it would be gossip fodder for the media. “’240 lbs. Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho’ would be the headline the next day,” he tweeted. While Crews said the unnamed exec called him to apologize the following day, he chose to keep the assault to himself to avoid becoming ostracized in the industry.
Crews added that Hollywood is not the only industry where predators have gone unchecked and unexposed. “I understand and empathize with those who have remained silent. But Harvey Weinstein is not the only perpetrator,” he tweeted before saying that he hopes his tweets, along with the women who shared their stories before him, inspire more survivors of sexual harassment and abuse to come forward.
The past several weeks have been undeniably disturbing and revelatory ones in the film community. Previous to the Weinstein news, L.A.’s Cinefamily theater was faced with a sexual harassment scandal, allegations have been made against Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles, ScreenJunkies’ Andy Signor, and controversy surrounded Fantastic Fest following Tim League’s quiet rehiring of Devin Faraci. What’s clear though is that more and more women are feeling empowered to bravely come forward with their stories, and prominent members of the Hollywood elite – from George Clooney to Meryl Streep – have begun speaking out against the “boys club” culture that’s kept many victims silent for so long. The gates have certainly opened and Hollywood’s ugly secrets are just starting to leak out; this is certainly not the last we’ll be hearing.