Porn Actress Nikki Benz Says Brazzers Director Assaulted Her On-Camera
Porn actress Nikki Benz said in a series of tweets that she was assaulted by a porn director who assaulted and choked her with the camera rolling, despite her protests.
“Did you see the part where I said cut, where I said I’m not OK with this? … I said no,” she tweeted, calling out porn company Brazzers for using the director, known as Tony T. “I guess rape scenes are in now, huh?”
Attempts to locate Tony T were unsuccessful, in part because more than one performer-director goes by the name Tony T.
Also Read: What 'Last Tango in Paris' Did Wrong, and 'General Hospital' Did Right (Commentary)
“The director himself put his hands on me and was choking me,” Benz said in another tweet. “Never in a million years did I think Brazzers would allow it.”
In another tweet, she shared a text message that said her head had been “stomped on.” It was unclear when that occurred or who was responsible.
Benz told her story in a series of tweets that started Monday. She received a wellspring of support from fans and other performers, including retired porn star Jenna Jameson, who wrote: “You are a strong woman, and just know you have all of us behind you, willing to fight at your side!!!!”
Many fans also said they would stop watching Brazzers’ content.
Brazzers responded on Twitter: “Hey @nikkibenz we’re behind you and will never tolerate negative behavior towards stars by any 3rd party producer.”
Also Read: James Deen's Porn Career Continues to Thrive Despite Sexual Assault Allegations
It also linked to a statement saying the company does not “produce content ourselves but commission producers to do so on our behalf.”
“We understand that this particular scene was an unscripted scene with the artistic direction left open to the producer’s discretion,” the company said. “Brazzers considers performers’ consent, boundaries and limits and safety to be fundamental and paramount issues and unequivocally stands for the respect of the performers. Brazzers does not condone nor does it tolerate conduct by producers that would jeopardize a performer’s security or well-being.”
It also said it would “thoroughly investigate” and that “this particular type of scene would never meet our standards and would be rejected immediately.”
Also Read: Lena Dunham Responds to Backlash Over 'Distasteful Joke' About Abortion
Last month, reports about the Bernardo Bertulocci film “Last Tango in Paris” led some to believe that actress Maria Schneider had been raped on camera — though she herself did not make that allegation, and Bertolucci later said there had been a “ridiculous misunderstanding.”
In this case, Benz said unequivocally that she was assaulted on camera. (She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.)
Last year, several women said they were assaulted by porn actor James Deen, including on porn sets. Deen denied the accusations, and no charges have been filed.
An investigation of Deen’s production company led to Cal/OSHA issuing citations in March with proposed penalties of $77,875 “for multiple violations of state condom and other safety laws which exposed performers to sexually transmitted infections and illnesses.” Deen said at the time that he was unfairly targeted and that his performers were given the option of using condoms, but preferred not to.
(Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that “California state officials investigated allegations by several women who said they were assaulted by porn actor James Deen, including on porn sets.” Deen’s attorney says the Cal/OSHA investigation was limited to the safety issues described in our update, and that no investigation has been opened into the women’s allegations of assault.)
Related stories from TheWrap:
Ex-Porn Star Jenna Jameson to Move to Israel
