A.J. Calloway Out As ‘Extra’ Co-Host After Sexual Misconduct Investigation

Bruce Haring and Nellie Andreeva
Updated

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A.J. Calloway, the Extra host who was accused of sexual assault and other misconduct by several women, is done on the show. “The Company has investigated the claims made into Mr. Calloway’s conduct and he and the Company have mutually agreed to part ways,” said a statement from Warner Bros issued Wednesday.

Calloway was suspended in February by Warner Bros pending further investigation of the allegations.

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At the time, the company said it began an internal review “to determine whether there had been any misconduct by Mr. Calloway on Extra and whether any employee of the show had been the victim of any such misconduct,” said a company statement in February. “To date, we have found nothing to suggest that Mr. Calloway has ever engaged in workplace misconduct.

“In light of additional allegations brought to our attention, we are expanding our ongoing inquiries, and Mr. Calloway has been suspended pending further review,” it added in February. “We take such allegations very seriously and are committed to doing everything we can to ensure a safe and inclusive workplace for all of our employees.”

Sources indicated Calloway was suspended with pay while the investigation continued.

Calloway originally was accused of sexual assault in June 2018 by writer Sil Lai Abrams. Nothing happened then, but a subsequent incident in December prompted a deeper dive.

When the second allegations surfaced, Warner Bros — whose Telepictures division produces entertainment newsmagazine Extra — issued a statement stressing that there had been no issues with Calloway in the workplace.

“We take allegations made against our employees seriously and investigate appropriately. To date, we have not received a complaint about A.J. Calloway and his work on Extra,” an Extra spokesperson said in a January 4 statement to Deadline.

Calloway had co-hosted Extra since 2008. After a long run on the NBC stations, the entertainment newsmagazine moved to Fox stations in top markets.

According to the Daily Beast, the West Orange (NJ) Police Department confirmed that a complaint of aggravated sexual assault was filed against Calloway on December 24, 2018. Due to the nature of the allegations, it was unable to release any further details on the complaint.

Another woman who reached out to Abrams agreed to talk to the Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity. “I’m terrified about coming forward,” the woman who identified herself as Talia explained. “I don’t want it to affect my future, everything that I’ve worked hard for — and A.J. is someone that would try to do that.”

Talia told the Daily Beast she began corresponding with Calloway on social media in 2011. After turning down several of his requests to go out with him, she said she eventually went to a party at his house after going out on a date with him, and when the guests left they began making out.

She told the Daily Beast he became more and more aggressive. “I just remember him pulling his penis out and he began stroking himself and he kept trying to put my hand on his penis and eventually he ejaculated on my hands,” she told the site. She said she wanted to “get out of there” but didn’t have a ride home.

“After what happened, he said, ‘I’ll take you home in the morning, I promise.’ After that, Talia said she disconnected from the mutual friends she shared with Calloway because she didn’t “want to risk ever having to see him again.”

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