More on Hollywood sex assault scandal,
A new allegation against Kevin Spacey and one against actor Ed Westwick were among the latest developments in the sexual misconduct scandal that continues to roil Hollywood and beyond. Heather Unruh, a former TV news anchor, said Wednesday that Spacey sexually assaulted her 18-year-old son at a Nantucket restaurant in 2016 and that police are investigating.
Unruh said Spacey bought her son “drink after drink” and then stuck his hand down the teen’s pants and grabbed his genitals. The teen ran away while Spacey was in the bathroom, Unruh said.
A lawyer for Spacey didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.
Unruh said her son, who is now in college, continues to struggle with the emotional effects of the encounter
Meanwhile, police in Los Angeles say 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 said in a social media post Tuesday that he doesn’t know Cohen and has “never committed rape.” In other developments: Author Gay Talese, 85, defended Spacey at a library in New York Monday night, saying he would like to ask him “how it feels to lose a lifetime of success and hard work all because of 10 minutes of indiscretion 10 years or more ago,” adding, “I feel so sad and I hate that actor that ruined this guy’s career. So, OK, it happened 10 years ago. . . . Jesus, suck it up once in a while!” Talese also compared Spacey to the Dalai Lama.
The LAPD is investigating allegations by Corey Feldman that he was sexually abused while working as a child actor in Hollywood.
Actress Jane Seymour, 66, says she almost quit her Hollywood career before it started after a powerful producer sexually harassed and threatened her. She says she was in- vited to the man’s home to see a screen test, but he told her it was her turn to do her “bit” and put his hand high up on her thigh. After she resisted his advances and waited for a cab to take her home, Seymour says the unnamed man threatened to blacklist her from potential roles if she ever spoke about their encounter.
Melanie Kohler, the woman who accused director Brett Ratner of rape and was subsequently sued for defamation, told ABC News on Wednesday that she’s ready for a legal battle. Kohler said she stands by her now-deleted Facebook post accusing Ratner of assaulting her and that Martin Singer, Ratner’s lawyer, called her and threatened her before filing the lawsuit, a charge Singer denied. She also said she hopes to “be the voice that helps other women come forward.”