Margot Sisson thanks Below Deck Down Under for sexual misconduct firings: 'I will forever be grateful'
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Below Deck Down Under's Margot Sisson is speaking out after sexual misconduct incidents during the Aug. 7 episode led to the firing of two cast members. One of them, bosun Luke Jones, was seen naked and climbing into Sisson's bed without her consent.
That incident, along with inappropriate remarks from second steward Laura Bileskalne, inspired swift action from the show's producers and Captain Jason Chambers, who immediately terminated their employment.
In a series of Instagram Stories later posted on her page, Sisson thanked everyone involved for handling the situation responsibly, including fellow cast member Aesha Scott. Scott intervened when Jones became flirtatious with a still-drunk Sisson after a night of partying. "I don't want any drunkenness to be taken advantage of," Scott told Sisson in the episode. "So I'd just like to see you get into bed safely. I'll get you water."
Of Scott's intervention, Sisson wrote, "The way she recognized the vulnerability of the situation I was in and her courageous intervention on my behalf was both heroic and so admirable. I thank the universe for her everyday, as well as the producers who quickly stepped in. Scott, you have a heart of gold, I look up to you, and I will forever be grateful."
Sisson added a "HUGE thank you" to Captain Jason for his "immediate response to the situation, leaving no room for any BS."
Mark Rogers/Bravo via Getty Images
She continued, "There are unfortunately a lot of captains who would choose to sweep something like this under the rug, I am grateful that Jason is not one of them. Thank you for repeatedly making me feel safe and supported. I wish every captain were just like you."
Sisson also addressed the firing of Laura Bileskalne who, following the incident, made inappropriate comments directed at Sisson, including a joke about how she wouldn't have turned Luke away if he'd come into her bed. That, coupled with her unwanted advances on deckhand Adam Kodra, resulted in her termination.
"Had I woken up to a boat full of people who had the same feelings as Laura, I would have continued to think it was my fault, and that I deserved it, and what happened was okay," Sisson wrote. "There would have been no consequences, no accountability, and the same thing or worse could have happened again and again to someone else."
Laurent Basset/Bravo; Bravo via Getty Images Luke Jones and Laura Bileskaine of 'Below Deck Down Under'
She continued, "It breaks my heart to know that this has happened to so many of you reading this. Your emotions are valid, nobody is allowed to blame you, and you can't blame yourself. Your body is your body, your space is your space, your bed is your bed, and nobody is allowed to enter that bubble without consent."
In the final post, Sisson revealed that her relationship with alcohol has become "pretty much non-existent" since filming the season.
"When I see the show now, it's like I'm watching someone else, a complete stranger," she wrote. "Hang in there with me for the rest of the season, and just know that I've grown so much since then, and I'm so proud of who I am today."
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