Morgan Freeman has been accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior by eight women, according to a new report by CNN. Many of the women worked with Morgan on various film sets, or were employees of his company, Revelations Entertainment. One of the accusers is Chloe Melas, the journalist who co-wrote the CNN report; she said that Freeman made inappropriate remarks toward her during a junket interview for the 2015 film Going in Style. Melas, who was six months pregnant at the time, said Freeman frequently looked her up and down during the interview, making comments like “I wish I was there” and “You are ripe.” She reported the alleged incident to CNN human resources, which in turn contacted the studio Warner Bros. A representative for Warner Bros. confirmed to CNN that the incident was reported, but that they could not corroborate Melass account.
Freeman, who is 80, had apparently developed something of a reputation on certain film sets. One accuser, a former production assistant on Going in Style, claimed that Freeman repeatedly tried to lift her skirt up and ask if she was wearing underwear. The alleged behavior reportedly only came to an end when Freemans co-star Alan Arkin told him to stop. (Arkin declined to comment on the incident to CNN.) Another woman on the set said that Freeman subjected her to unwanted touching. Three women said he was known to publicly comment on womens clothing or bodies; one woman who was a senior production staffer on his 2012 film Now You See Me said that women who worked for Freeman eventually learned to anticipate and steel themselves against his behavior.
“We knew that if he was coming by . . . not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were] fitted,” she said.
Revelations Entertainment, which was co-founded by Freeman and Lori McCreary in 1996, was also described as a “toxic” work environment to CNN by former staffers. One former staffer said she met Freeman for the first time on the set of the TV series Through the Wormhole. As she stood there, surrounded by men, she claims he “looked me up and down,” then asked her, How do you feel about sexual harassment?”
“I was stunned,” she told CNN. “This is the person that I worked for, this is his company, I didnt expect it at all . . . I said timidly, I love it in a sarcastic way hoping to make light of the situation because I was so confused and then he turned to the guys on the crew . . . and said, See guys, this is how you do it.”
A former manager at Revelations claimed Freeman would come to her desk and stare at her breasts. A male former employee claimed Freeman behaved like a “creepy uncle,” and said he once saw Freeman go up to an intern and start giving her a massage. She “got visibly red and wiggled out of his grasp,” he said. “It was awkward.”
Former employees also allege that McCreary, who has been the subject of inappropriate remarks made publicly by Freeman, made “snide” remarks about female employees herself, particularly those who had to leave work early for family commitments. They also claim she witnessed Freemans inappropriate behavior toward female employees during an office party for the actors 79th birthday. Representatives for Freeman sent Vanity Fair the following statement: “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected—that was never my intent.”
Representatives for McCreary have not yet responded to CNNs request for comment, nor have they responded to Vanity Fairs request for comment.
The Oscar-winning Freeman is one of the most respected veterans in Hollywood, as well as a celebrated pop-cultural figure more generally thanks to his distinctive voice. (He memorably played the role of God in two films, Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty.) Days before the CNN report, Freeman was announced as the voice of the Vancouver transit system. Representatives for the transit system, TransLink, sent V.F. the following statement: “In light of information weve learned this morning of allegations regarding actor Morgan Freeman, TransLink has decided to pause his voice announcements as part of a VISA ad campaign on our transit system. We will be reaching out to VISA to discuss further.”
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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