The Goldbergs' Bryan Callen accused of sexual assault and misconduct

By Shannon Miller  |  July 31, 2020 | 9:12pm
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The Goldbergs' Bryan Callen accused of sexual assault and misconduct
Bryan Callen Photo: Jason Merritt

Bryan Callen, whose credits include The Goldbergs, How I Met Your Mother, and Schooled, has been been accused by four women of sexual assault and misconduct. In a new report by The L.A. Times, the women contacted the outlet shortly after Chris D’Elia was accused of misconduct against minors—a detail made notable by the fact that the two men are noted friends who were due to premiere a prank show on Netflix before it was canceled. The Times describes the allegations rendered against Callen as “troubling sexual incidents ranging from assault to misconduct to disturbing comments” that allude to “a pattern of behavior that spans decades, going back at least as far as 1999.” One woman identified as actress and comedian Katherine Fiore Tigerman claims that Callen forced her to have sex with him even after she “pleaded with him to stop.”

The other three women detailed a number of unsettling claims that include aggressively pinning one to a wall and kissing her without consent and a comment he once made, stating that women harbor a “biological, primal desire to be raped.” Another comedian named Tiffany King says that in 2017, Callen suggested that she give him oral sex in exchange for stage time and
money when she was struggling financially.

Callen categorically denied all the allegations with a statement to The Times, citing “cancel culture” and the supposed proper behavior of rape victims. “Let me be very clear: I have never raped, forced myself upon any woman nor offered to trade stage time for sex. EVER,” Callen states. “I know the truth. And I can only hold my head up high, remain true to myself, my family, my audience and know that I will not allow the cancel culture to subvert what I know and as importantly, what they know, is the truth.” He also claims that his sexual encounter with Tigerman was consensual and that she later auditioned to play his wife in a show: “That is not what rape victims do.” Per Variety—Callen will not be appearing in season eight of The Goldbergs due to plot reasons that aren’t related to the recent allegations.

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