David Copperfield Accused of Sexual Misconduct by More Than a Dozen Women
Magician David Copperfield faces serious allegations in a new report from The Guardian, which accuses him of sexual misconduct dating back decades. On May 15, the outlet published a lengthy investigation involving several women who shared stories about alleged encounters they had with the legendary entertainer, often when they were underage. He has denied the allegations in a statement provided by his representative.
The report contains allegations from 16 women with claims spanning from the 1980s to 2014. Over half of the accusers said they were under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged incidents.
One of those women with the pseudonym Carla said Copperfield "groomed" her when she was 15 years old by giving her his phone number in 1991 and staying in touch with her until she turned 18. The woman claimed that Copperfield sent her cards and gifts, including one when she was 16 that allegedly read "In two years I will be back."
She confessed that kissing him while underage felt wrong, though she didn't know why. "I was not forced, but I remember feeling awkward as I’d never done that before,” she said. "I was a young schoolgirl infatuated with a man who was famous, and I think he used that to benefit him. Why would he continue to reach out to me through those years if he wasn’t planning on pouncing as soon as I turned 18?"
Another woman identified as "Gillian" was in her 20s around the same time in the early 1990s. In the report, she alleged that she was picked out of the audience for a trick and after the show waited in line for an autograph from the magician. One of his assistants reportedly then took her and her friend to Copperfield's hotel suite for a drink, though things quickly took a turn as Gillian recalled "patches" of memory after sipping some of the drink he served.
"I am 56 years old now," she said. "Never in my life have I had a time where I don’t consciously remember [a period of time]… I would never just say this to somebody if I didn’t truly, honest to God believe that I was drugged at that time."
A representative for Copperfield denied the allegations raised in the investigation in a statement to Men's Journal.
"Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is. In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators," the statement read.
"Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then," the statement continued. "David requested the 'evidence' upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided. By contrast, whenever US law enforcement has looked into such matters, they have been investigated thoroughly and it has been found that there is simply no case to answer."
"The Guardian’s characterization is not who David is, and he continues to support anyone who has experienced any form of abuse or discrimination. The movement must succeed, but false accusations must stop for it to flourish," the statement concluded. "David will be considering the position with his legal team and will take such steps as may be appropriate over these false and scurrilous allegations."
