Legendary actor Ben Vereen has found himself in a bit of hot water in the wake of the #metoo movement. Apparently several women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct stemming from his stent with Broadway Musical “Hair”.
via Page Six:
“I would like to apologize directly to the female cast members of the musical ‘Hair’ for my inappropriate conduct when I directed the production in 2015,” Vereen, 71, tweeted.
“While it was my intention to create an environment that replicated the themes of that musical during the rehearsal process, I have since come to understand that it is my conduct, not my intentions, which are relevant here,” he continued. “So I am not going to make any excuses because the only thing that matters here is acknowledging and apologizing for the effects of my conduct on the lives of these women. Going forward, my having come to terms with my past conduct will inform all my future interactions not only with women, but with all individuals. I hope these women will find it in their hearts to accept my sincere apology and forgive me.”
The claims against Vereen came from several women.
Two of the women accused Vereen of exposing himself to them in a hot tub and holding his erect penis against them, with one of the accusers claiming he coerced her into performing oral sex on him.
One accuser who was in a relationship with Vereen at the time claimed he once had sex with her while she was asleep.
Several actresses in the production accused Vereen of getting naked during rehearsals, though “Hair” typically does include nude scenes. One woman claimed that Vereen sent her inappropriate text messages and forcibly kissed her on the lips.
This is truly disturbing to say the least.
Source: Matthew Eisman / Getty
Lengendary Broadway Actor Ben Vereen Answers To Sexual Misconduct Allegations was originally published on wzakcleveland.com
