Hollywood is continuing to react to
last week’s allegations on Twitter that comedian and actor Chris D’Elia used his social media platform to sexually harass and groom underaged women.In an
L.A. Times podcast released on June 23,
You star Penn Badgley spoke out about the recent claims against his season two co-star, revealing that he doesn’t know D’Elia very well but that his alleged actions speak to a wider systemic problem. “I was very troubled by it. I am very troubled by it. I don’t know Chris. I know that, if there’s anything we need to do in this age, it’s to believe women,” Badgley
revealed on Can’t Stop Watching.“What is really important is to recognize that the policies that underwrite every given system — the practices, the regulations, the laws that underwrite every one of these systems which act as a haven for the individuals that take advantage, namely white men. And women — but, you know, white people, and white men,” he continued. “And white men of a particular breed, who are successful and charismatic. I think that we need to remember that that is the level of change we’re looking for.”In the second season of
You, D’Elia played a hotshot comedian named Henderson who sexually assaulted underaged women he worked with. That irony is something Badgley also addressed in the interview. “The idea that a show like ours would indirectly, unwittingly be a haven for people who are abusive is disturbing. It's very disturbing," he added. "What does it take to change that? Because it's not just vetting individuals. There needs to be a change in culture and attitude so that that kind of behaviour is so clearly reprehensible, it's so clearly, like, anti-human."Badgley also revealed that after the allegations surfaced,
You producers reached out to D’Elia’s 17-year-old co-star Jenna Ortega to make sure that she felt safe. (At time of press she had yet to respond to the accusations.) He also added that everyone involved wants to make sure that the set is a place where actors “feel safe and sound,” especially given the dark subject matters the show tackles.Meanwhile, Badgley isn’t the only celebrity speaking up. Whitney Cummings also shared her thoughts on social media, standing by the women who are accusing her former
Whitney co-star. “I’m devastated and enraged by what I’ve read and learned,” she wrote in a statement on
Twitter and
Instagram on June 20. “This is a pattern of predatory behaviour. This abuse of power is enabled by silence. Now that I’m aware, I won’t be silent.”Amy Schumer also opened up on social media, although she didn’t name D’Elia specifically. “Hey. Crazy time right? Lot goin on. I just wanted to take a second to say how brave the women coming forward are about the mistreatment they have experienced at the hands of comedians or in any other profession. Especially the ones who weren’t of legal age to consent,” she wrote. “There are great men out there. And there are men who humiliate and abuse women and girls because of a power dynamic or because when they were that age girls wouldn’t talk to them. Whatever your reasoning is, or was. We are watching you and we are all together now and we won’t accept this behaviour whether you break the law or not.” Schumer ended her note with a reminder that her phone number is in her bio if anyone feels the need to reach out.
Although D’Elia hasn’t responded to the allegations on social media he did release a statement to
TMZ denying any sexual harassment or underaged claims. "All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me," he said. "That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That's MY fault. I own it. I've been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better."D’Elia is mainly known for his stand-up comedy, but he has also appeared on various television programs including
Whitney and
You. He starred for three seasons in the NBC sitcom
Undatable and recurred in the first season of
The Good Doctor. The 40-year-old is also scheduled to appear in the upcoming Netflix flick
Army of the Dead, which has wrapped shooting.
According to Variety D’Elia’s talent agency, CAA, has since dropped him as a client as a result of the allegations.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: 78-year-old grandfather walks out of hospital after beating COVID-19[/video_embed]
