Cuba Gooding Jr. accused of sexual assault by 'Girl With No Job' star Claudia Oshry

Eric Althoff
Updated

Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. faced a second allegation of sexual assault in less than a week when blogger Claudia Oshry claimed on her June 11 podcast The Morning Toast that the 51-year-old star engaged in an unwanted sexual act with her when she just 16.

Oshry claimed that the Jerry Maguire star inserted his finger into her anus at a dance club without her consent, and that she didn’t go to the authorities at the time partly due to fear that she was underage and was in an establishment for legal adults.

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. appears at his arraignment hearing in New York State Criminal Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., June 13, 2019. Steven Hirsch/Pool via REUTERS
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. appears at his arraignment hearing in New York State Criminal Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., June 13, 2019. Steven Hirsch/Pool via REUTERS

“At the end of the day, like, I don’t know if I've ever considered myself to be, like, a victim of sexual assault because I’m not,” Oshry said on the podcast. “There are people who are real victims that I would never compare myself to them.”

Gooding’s attorney, Mark Heller, disputed the claim and said that his client has never exhibited such behavior.

“It is not uncommon for people to come out of the woodwork when these things happen,” Heller was reported to have remarked.

This came after news that on Thursday, June 13, Gooding turned himself in to New York police for questioning after video surfaced that apparently showed him groping a woman’s breasts against her will at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge nightclub. The actor was smiling and waving as he was being detained, reports said.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 01: Claudia Oshry attends the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 01, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 01: Claudia Oshry attends the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 01, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Gooding appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to charges of forcible touching and sex abuse in the third degree. He was released on his own recognizance and will be back in court on June 26.

Gooding’s lawyer has said that security footage, which was obtained by TMZ and published on Friday, from the Magic Hour club will exonerate his client, and added that his accuser could be seen in the footage following Gooding and his entourage around the club before the incident in question occurred.

Since airing her grievance with Gooding, Oshry said that many others have come forward to tell her of similar incidents with the actor.

“At the end of the day, when I tell people this at my meet-and-greets and just anyone who’s ever come to my show, there’s, like, at least once every show, someone who comes up to me, they’re like, ‘Oh my God! Me and my friends were at a club and the same thing happened to me’ or ‘the same thing happened to my friend,’” Oshry said on her podcast.

While airing her accusations against the actor, Oshry also took the opportunity to applaud the still-anonymous woman from the New York club who filed the police report against Gooding, which resulted in his detainment last weekend.

“This is not the first time that I’ve heard, but this is the first time I've heard that police are involved,” Oshry said on her show.

Gooding has faced previous incidents of being handsy. In 2012, a New Orleans bartender said that he pushed her after becoming angry that fans were mobbing him for photos. The bartender later dropped the charges.

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