NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on sexual harassment and abuse allegations against men in the entertainment and media industries (all times local):
11 p.m.
A spokesman for a producer accused of molesting Anthony Edwards is denying the “ER” actor’s claims.
Sam Singer is a spokesman for producer and director Gary Goddard. He says in a statement issued Friday night that the producer unequivocally denies Edwards’ claims that were published in a post on the website Medium earlier in the day.
The actor accused Gary Goddard of molesting him when he was 12-years-old. He also alleges a friend was raped by the older man but he and his friends remained silent about the abuse.
Singer says Goddard was a “mentor, teacher and friend” to Edwards and worked as his personal manager. Singer says Goddard has great respect for the actor, but is saddened by what he called “false allegations.”
Edwards in his post said he’s been in therapy for years over the assault and confronted Goddard over it 22 years ago at an airport, in which “he swore to his remorse.”
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8 p.m.
Pamela Adlon, an actress and writer who’s worked frequently with Louis C.K., says she and her family are “devastated and in shock” following the comedian’s admission of what she called “abhorrent behavior.”
In a statement Friday, Adlon says she feels sorrow and empathy for the women who have come forward with accounts of misbehavior by C.K.
Adlon, who stars in FX’s “Better Things,” which she created and produced with C.K., asked for privacy to process what’s happened.
She also appeared on his comedy “Louie” and appears in “I Love You, Daddy,” a C.K. film that was pulled from release this week following allegations of sexual harassment by five women against him.
FX has announced that C.K. and his company will no longer be producers of “Better Things” and three other C.K. projects with the network.
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4:50 p.m.
The financial fallout to Louis C.K.’s acknowledgement of sexual misconduct has begun, with FX Networks and FX Productions announcing they will cut ties to the comedian, stripping his title as executive producer and taking away any compensation for the four projects they were working with him on.
In a statement, FX Productions says it will cancel a deal it had with C.K.’s production company, Pig Newton. The four projects in the works were “Better Things,” ”Baskets,” ”One Mississippi” and “The Cops.”
FX Networks and FX Productions say C.K. was a “professional” partner over the past eight years but “now is not the time for him to make television shows.”
The announcement came hours after C.K. said recent allegations of sexual misconduct are true and he released a statement expressing remorse about using his power “irresponsibly.”
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3 p.m.
“ER’ actor Anthony Edwards has revealed that he was molested as a child by a director and producer, staying quiet because of emotional manipulation.
The actor accused Gary Goddard of molesting him when he was 12 years old. He alleges a friend was raped by the older man but he and his friends remained silent about the abuse. Alan Grodin, a lawyer for Goddard, said Goddard has been out of the country and “and will have a response shortly.”
In the post Friday on Medium, Edwards said he’s been in therapy for years over the assault and confronted Goddard over it 22 years ago at an airport, in which “he swore to his remorse.”
Edwards urged society to break the stigma of childhood sexual abuse and hopes the abused with stand up and tell their stories. He added: “My abuse may always be with me, but it does not own me.”
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2:45 p.m.
Ellen Page says director Brett Ratner outed her in front of “X-Men” cast and crew when she was a sexually unsure 18-year-old, leaving her feeling violated and ashamed.
In a Facebook post Friday, Page said Ratner used a pre-production meeting for the 2006 film “X-Men: The Last Stand” to make the comment she called “horrific.”
According to Page, she was standing next to a woman 10 years her senior when Ratner pointed to Page and told the other woman, “You should (expletive) her to make her realize she’s gay.”
“He ‘outed’ me with no regard for my well-being, an act we all recognize as homophobic,” wrote Page. The “Juno” star came out publicly in 2014.
Page, who started acting as a child, recounted being harassed or assaulted as an underage teen by other people in the industry whom she didn’t identify.
She’s worked with many “honorable and respectful collaborators,” Page wrote, but called misbehavior in the industry “ubiquitous.”
The flood of accusations by others who have been abused represents a “long awaited reckoning,” she said.
An attorney for Ratner, who has been accused by at least six women of sexual harassment, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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1:30 p.m.
Comedian Louis C.K. says recent allegations of sexual misconduct are true and has released a statement expressing remorse about using his power “irresponsibly.”
The comedian’s statement issued Friday says the sexual misconduct allegations by five women against him “are true” and he “can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them.”
He apologized to the cast and crew of several projects he’s been working on, his family, children and friends, his manager and the FX network.
The 438-word statement ends with the comedian vowing to stop talking and leave the spotlight, stating “I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”
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1:25 p.m.
A freelance writer has accused Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner of sexual harassment, saying Wenner offered a writing contract to the man if he spent the night at the publisher’s Manhattan townhouse.
Wenner says in a statement that he did attempt to have a sexual liaison with Ben Ryan, who was 27 at the time of the incident in 2005. But Wenner denied offering a writing contract for sex and said that another one of his magazines, Men’s Journal, published a piece he had earlier assigned Ryan.
Ryan told BuzzFeed about the incident. Ryan said it didn’t necessarily surprise him that after fixing a drink, Wenner kissed him. Ryan said, “I went along for a second but then said something to the effect of, ‘oh, please, I’m not that kind of girl.’”
Wenner said he “respected” that Ryan turned him down. He said, “I had no intention of making him feel uncomfortable.”
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11:35 a.m.
Netflix has scrapped plans for an upcoming Louis C.K. stand up special in light of five women’s allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian.
The streaming service says it finds the allegations in the story published in the New York Times on Thursday “disturbing.”
Netflix on Friday cited “unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with female colleagues” as the reason for not producing the special. It would have been the network’s second stand up special with C.K.
Numerous projects have been shelved due to the accusations, including release of C.K.’s feature film “I Love You, Daddy,” and HBO has removed his work from its on demand video streaming service.
C.K. has not commented publicly on the allegations.
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11:10 a.m. Actor Jeremy Piven has responded to another allegation of sexual misconduct against him by saying he hopes the string sexual harassment allegations sweeping Hollywood will lead to “a constructive dialogue on these issues.”
Piven made the statement on Twitter while denying an accusation made against him from an advertising executive. Tiffany Bacon Scourby tells People magazine Piven held her down while he performed a sex act at a hotel 14 years ago. She says she came forward to back up the claims of two other women who accused Piven of sexual misconduct.
Piven says that accusations against him “are absolutely false and completely fabricated” and added “continuing to tear each other down and destroy careers based on mere allegations is not productive on any level.”
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10 a.m.
Indie distributor The Orchards says Louis C.K.’s film “I Love You, Daddy” will not be released, following a report on sexual misconduct by the comedian.
The film was set for release on Nov. 17. The film’s New York premiere was also canceled on Thursday.
The Friday announcement came after The New York Times on Thursday reported that C.K. has masturbated in front of five women comedians and actresses.
C.K. has not responded to the allegations.
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9:45 a.m.
The BBC says it is pulling a new Agatha Christie adaptation from its television schedule because of sexual assault allegations against actor Ed Westwick.
Westwick appears in mystery thriller “Ordeal by Innocence,” which had been due to run over the Christmas period.
The BBC said Friday that “these are serious allegations which Ed Westwick has strenuously denied. The BBC is not making any judgment but until these matters are resolved we will not include ‘Ordeal by Innocence’ in the schedules.”
The broadcaster said Westwick has also paused filming on the 1980s-set sitcom “White Gold.”
Police in Los Angeles said Thursday they are investigating a sexual assault report filed against former “Gossip Girl” star Westwick.
In a Facebook post on Monday, actress Kristina Cohen said that Westwick sexually assaulted her three years ago. Westwick has denied the allegation. A second actress, Aurelie Wynn, also accused Westwick of sexually assaulting her in a Facebook post on Thursday.
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5:30 a.m.
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman says she is among the young women abused by a former USA Gymnastics team doctor.
Raisman tells “60 Minutes” she was 15 when she was first treated by Dr. Larry Nassar, who spent more than two decades working with athletes at USA Gymnastics. He’s now is in jail in Michigan awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Raisman, the captain of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold-medal winning team, details the abuse in her book “Fierce,” which will be released on Nov. 14.
Raisman is the latest gymnast to claim she was abused by Nassar. McKayla Maroney, who won two medals at the 2012 Games as Raisman’s teammate, said last month she was molested for years by Nassar.
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5 a.m.
Jenny McCarthy says actor Steven Seagal sexually harassed her during a 1995 audition.
The former Playboy model recounted her encounter with Seagal during a tryout for “Under Siege 2” on her Sirius XM radio show Thursday.
She says she was alone in the room with Seagal when he asked her to sit next to him on a couch. After she declined, she says Seagal asked her to take her clothes off even though the part required no nudity. McCarthy says she walked out of the audition, but Seagal followed her and warned her not to tell anyone.
McCarthy told the same story to Movieline in 1998.
A representative for Seagal didn’t immediately return a request for comment Friday, but a Seagal spokesman has denied the accusations to The Daily Beast.
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This story has been corrected to show the release date on Louis C.K.’s film was Nov. 17.
