Hollywood, on the surface, has long been known for its glitz, glamour and entertainment, with thousands of young women flocking there in hopes of stardom each year. Still, beneath the facade, the entertainment industry is, unfortunately, still home to a swirling cesspit of sexual misconduct allegations, which in today’s day and age is still shocking.
With each week that passes, another woman in the business bravely comes forward with horrifying allegations of inappropriate behaviour while in the workplace. A recent case in point, Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a “famous TV judge” at a business event years ago. Speaking on the podcast, The Way Up With Angela Yee, the 66-year-old recalled: “I’m at a very public place. I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network. This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat.”
Steve Granitz
Shockingly Sheryl said that the network executives witnessed the attack but encouraged her to stay silent, even though she was ready to report the incident. “Somebody on the network tapped me on the shoulder saying, ‘Please don’t,’. They did not want any bad press around their show and did not care what had just happened to me.” Sheryl did not name the perpetrator or the network she was working with at the time.
Of course, this is far from an isolated incident, as You star Victoria Pedretti recently called out a “well-known” male actor who made inappropriate sexual comments about her. While choosing not to name him, the actress wrote underneath a now-deleted nude picture of herself on Instagram: “On my bday last year, a ‘well known’ actor walked up to me at a party and said ‘I’ve jacked off to you so many times’.” Victoria went on to explain: “I was shocked by the audacity. This is AFTER he expressed how much he respected me as an actor.” She added: “Sometimes I enjoy modesty, sometimes I don’t. It’s a joke to think that my own modesty will protect me from any disrespect I may experience as a femme body,” she wrote, before adding: “Also, shout out to my body. I love you. You’re mine.”