‘The Goldbergs’ Star Bryan Callen Accused of Sexual Assault, Will Not Appear in Season 8
Bryan Callen, a standup comedian and star of ABC’s “The Goldbergs,” has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by four women in a report published by the Los Angeles Times.
Callen is alleged to have raped Katherine Fiore Tigerman, an actor and comedian whose credits include the TBS series “Wedding Band,” in 1999. Another woman, Rachel Green, alleges that Callen tried to force himself on her during an encounter which took place in an American Apparel fitting room in 2009.
More from Variety
The most recent allegation is from 2017 when Tiffany King, a comedian who previously performed at the same club as Callen, alleges that he offered her stage time and money in exchange for sexual favors.
Callen is best known for playing high school gym teacher Rick Mellor in “The Goldbergs” and more prominently in its recently-canceled spinoff series “Schooled.” Sources close to “The Goldbergs” say that Callen will not appear in the show’s upcoming eighth season, but his absence is for plot reasons rather than as a response to these allegations.
Sony Pictures Television, which produces both series, declined to comment. ABC could not be reached for comment.
Callen denied each allegation made against him in the following lengthy statement Variety obtained from his representatives.
“Let me be very clear: I have never raped, forced myself upon a woman nor have I offered to trade stage time for sex,” Callen said. “I know the truth. And I can only hold my head up high, remain true to myself, my family, my audience and know that I will not allow the cancel culture to subvert what I know and as importantly, what these women know, is the truth.”
The entirety of Callen’s statement can be read at the bottom of this story.
These accusations come less than two months after Callen’s fellow comedian Chris D’Elia was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. Some of D’Elia’s accusers say they were as young as 16 at the time of the alleged encounters. Callen and D’Elia were supposed to star in a Netflix prank show together, however, the streamer scrapped it after the D’Elia accusations emerged.
Callen has also defended D’Elia in recent weeks, saying in an episode of his podcast “The Fighter and the Kid” that “he’s still a friend.”
The reports of Callen’s misconduct have already sparked reactions from several prominent comedians, including Amy Schumer, who thanked the “brave women” for “coming forward and sharing their stories.”
“You are saving the women who may have come after you,” Schumer wrote in an Instagram post. “And to the comics who are annoyed with me for standing with these ladies what are you so afraid of?”
A post shared by @ amyschumer on Jul 31, 2020 at 6:43am PDT
Here’s Callen’s full statement:
“Let me be very clear: I have never raped, forced myself upon a woman nor have I offered to trade stage time for sex. EVER. Yes my friend Whitney Cummings and I have ranted ad nauseum about showing her my penis on my podcast, which in no secret to anyone at this point anywhere. As to the woman who claims I raped her 21 years ago: that is demonstrably false. Katherine Fiore and I went on a date. We went to my place. We got intimate and began to have sex at which point she looked at me and said ‘wait, I don’t want to just be a one night stand.’ I immediately stopped and we spoke about her expectations and our 5 year friendship. Several days later Katherine called me and we recapped our evening and hung up as friends. In 2001, she did multiple auditions to play the role of my wife in a television show that would have had us working together every day for years. That is not what rape victims do. And her actions speak volumes.”
“Equally false is the mud-slinging from a woman whom I had a prior relationship with, seemingly determined to get her name in the press. While there were years of friendly texts and emails exchanges, taking me up on career introductions or her asking to join me at shows, I was clearly not a power player, although her dark false accusations try to paint a different picture. She must have forgotten about the recent email she sent me apologizing for her unrelated misdeeds and promising going forward to only treat me with kindness and respect. I know the truth. And I can only hold my head up high, remain true to myself, my family, my audience and know that I will not allow the cancel culture to subvert what I know and as importantly, what these women know, is the truth.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
