Following allegations from actor Ray Fisher that Joss Whedon unfairly abused his power while on the set of Justice League, actress Charisma Carpenter has come forward about her own experiences. Known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2002) and its spin-off Angel (1999-2004), Carpenter opens up about how Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions.”
While Carpenter does mention the toxic behavior taking place on both show sets, she goes into detail about the experiences on Angel. While filming the show, Carpenter became pregnant and claims Whedon initially refused calls from her agents but finally requested a closed-door meeting. During this meeting, he allegedly went so far as to ask her if she was “going to keep it.” Carpenter claims the bad behavior continued during her pregnancy, including having to report to work at 1AM, which she calls “retaliatory,” and being called “fat” when she was four months along.
Over the years, Carpenter has appeared at many conventions across the country and has told fans that she would work with Whedon once again. However, in her statement she says that it was through therapy and the Time’s Up movement that made her see the situation more clearly.
Charisma Carpenter’s full statement can be read below, from her official Twitter account.
— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021
A few Buffy the Vampire stars have responded on their own social media accounts, including Sarah Michelle Gellar on Instagram :
“While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon. I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time. But I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.”
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister, Dawn, reposted Gellar’s statement, adding:
Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman….To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate.
Amber Benson, who played fan-favorite Tara on Buffy, also responded on Twitter:
“Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharismais speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later.”
It seems there are even more details left to this story that may still come to light.
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