Extra's A.J. Calloway Suspended Amid Sexual Misconduct Investigation
A.J. Calloway has officially been suspended amid a sexual misconduct investigation after multiple women came forward with complaints against the Extra host, Warner Bros. Television announced on Saturday.
The show’s producer confirmed the news — first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, which said it “has been preparing a new story with additional allegations” — in a statement provided to PEOPLE.
“Upon becoming aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against AJ Calloway, we 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 Warner Bros. Television. “To date, we have found nothing to suggest that Mr. Calloway has ever engaged in workplace misconduct.”
Warner Bros. continued: “In light of additional allegations brought to our attention, we are expanding our ongoing inquiries, and Mr. Calloway has been suspended pending further review. 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.”
Following his suspension on Saturday, 44-year-old Calloway’s attorney, Lisa E. Davis, released a statement to THR: “Mr. Calloway maintains that these unsubstantiated allegations are patently false. He vehemently denies that he ever assaulted anyone and looks forward to clearing his name.”
Calloway’s attorney did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
RELATED: Extra‘s A.J. Calloway Denies Allegation of 2006 Sexual Assault, Forcing Woman to Masturbate Him
In June, author and domestic-violence activist Sil Lai Abrams told THR that Calloway sexually assaulted her in the back of a car in 2006, and additional accusers came forward in a Daily Beast story published in January.
Abrams had previously reported the allegations — which Calloway’s representative denied — to MSNBC, which declined to publish them because the vetting around the allegations didn’t meet their standards to publish a story.
According to documents reviewed by THR, Calloway was charged with forcible touching and attempted sexual misconduct offenses. In a statement from his lawyer, he denied the allegations.
“I was disappointed to read the false allegations about me in The Hollywood Reporter. As I have maintained from the beginning, these allegations are not true. When I was first notified about these allegations by law enforcement more than a decade ago, I fully cooperated from the beginning and the case was dismissed,” he said. “THR chose to publish these meritless allegations without a thorough investigation of the facts. I intend to vigorously defend my reputation against these false accusations and will not let this cause further harm to my family.”
