#MeToo: Marilyn Manson, R. Kelly, Danny Masterson more Hollywood men accused of misconduct

Marilyn Manson is currently facing several lawsuits alleging sexual, emotional and physical abuse. In June 2021, Ashley Morgan Smithline became the fourth person to file a lawsuit against the singer.

Smithline is among more than a dozen women who have alleged abuse committed by Manson. Three others, including "Game of Thrones" actress Esmé Bianco, Manson’s former personal assistant Ashley Walters and a woman who has chosen to remain anonymous, have brought lawsuits against the shock rocker.
And in February, "Westworld" actress and Manson's ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood claimed the musician "horrifically abused me for years." 

Manson has pushed back against the allegations, saying in February, "My intimate relationships have always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners. Regardless of how — and why — others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth."

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s trial on allegations he violated three different women at three different Manhattan nightspots in 2018 and 2019 is set to begin on Feb. 1, 2022. 

In all, Gooding, 53, is charged with six misdemeanor counts that could land him in jail if he is convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges after he was accused of sexual contact and grooming an underage fan.

Bell, whose full name is Jared Drake Bell, was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service in Cleveland court in July.

Former "19 Kids and Counting" star Josh Duggar is set to go on trial for child pornography charges on Nov. 30, 2021. In April, Duggar was arrested by the United States Marshals Service and indicted by a federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas, alleging that in 2019 he knowingly received images of children under the age of 12. If found guilty, Duggar could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each of the two counts.

Duggar's attorneys – Justin Gelfand, Travis Story and Greg Payne – said in a joint statement at the time that their client pled not guilty to both charges and plans to "fight back in the courtroom."

In December 2020, prosecutors filed additional charges against celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris, who was arrested by the FBI in September 2020 and charged with sexual exploitation of children after he was investigated for soliciting photos and sex from minors.

Harris, made famous earlier in 2020 from his prominent role in the Netflix docuseries "Cheer," was charged with receiving and attempting to receive child pornography and four counts of using, persuading, inducing and enticing a minor "to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and … transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct." The acts allegedly took place in Naperville, Illinois, and Corsicana, Texas.

NBC fired Matt Lauer, longtime anchor of the Today show, on Nov. 28, 2017, following allegations of sexual misconduct with a colleague.

Nearly two years later the accuser, Brooke Nevils, came forward in investigative journalist Ronan Farrow's book "Catch and Kill," claiming Lauer raped her at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Lauer denied the allegations in a lengthy open letter in Variety.

In 2018, two women accused astrophysicist and TV personality Neil deGrasse Tyson of inappropriate sexual behavior. Tyson denied the allegations at the time, and after investigations concluded, the astrophysicist was able to keep his job at the New York's American Museum of Natural History.

More than a dozen men and teen boys accused Kevin Spacey of sexual harassment and assault in 2017, after which the Oscar-winning actor's career came to a halt. "Rent" and "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp was among the accusers, telling BuzzFeed in 2017 that he was 14 when he attended a party at Spacey's apartment, where he said an inebriated Spacey made sexual advances. Spacey apologized to Rapp via Twitter on Oct. 30, 2017, blaming drunken behavior. He also came out as gay in the tweet, which drew criticism as a lame shield.

A criminal case brought against Spacey ended in 2019, when prosecutors in Nantucket, Massachusetts, announced they would drop the charge that Spacey sexually assaulted a teen busboy at an island bar in the summer of 2016, "due to the unavailability of the complaining witness." Rapp also filed a lawsuit in September 2020 over his allegations. In May, a U.S. district judge in Manhattan ruled that another man accusing Spacey of sexually abusing him in the 1980s when he was 14 in the same lawsuit as Rapp would not be allowed to proceed anonymously in court. 

Spacey was fired from his starring role in the final season of the Netflix political drama series "House of Cards" and his last role was in 2018's bio drama "Billionaire Boys Club." Most recently, he appeared in director Franco Nero's Italian film, "L'uomo Che Disegnò Dio (The Man Who Drew God)," opposite Nero's wife, Vanessa Redgrave.

Jeffrey Tambor was fired in February 2018 from his leading role as a trans woman on the show "Transparent" following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations.

He was first accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior by his former assistant, a transgender woman named Van Barnes. Tambor rejected the claims as "baseless." In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Transparent" star Trace Lysette also accused Tambor of sexual misconduct. 

In 2017, Ed Westwick, known for his role on Gossip Girl as Chuck Bass, was accused of sexual misconduct by two women.

Actress Kristina Cohen accused Westwick in a Facebook post on Nov. 6 of raping her at his house and filed a police report on Nov. 7. Westwick denied the allegations, tweeting on the same day, "I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape."

Later, Rachel Eck accused him of groping her and unwanted advances in a Buzzfeed report on Nov. 14, 2017. Prosecutors declined to file charges against Westwick in 2018. 

Morgan Freeman, an Oscar-winning actor was accused of sexual harassment, unwanted touching and other inappropriate behavior by eight people, according to a CNN investigation published May 24, 2018.

The report details an alleged pattern of making unwanted advances on women while he was on movie sets and at other events. Freeman denied the accusations.

Nev Schulman, co-host of MTV's "Catfish" was accused of sexual misconduct by show alum Ayissha Morgan, who alleged in a video posted to YouTube on May 12, 2018, that Schulman made several inappropriate sexual comments to her.

MTV suspended the show in order to conduct an investigation, according to an emailed statement from the network to USA TODAY at the time. Schulman denied the allegations.

Boyd Tinsley, Dave Matthews Band's former violinist, was accused of sexual misconduct by James Frost-Winn, a Seattle-based trumpet player who worked for Tinsley as a member of the band Crystal Garden from about 2015 through 2016, according to a report from online entertainment magazine "Consequence of Sound" on May 17, 2018.

Frost-Winn is seeking $9 million in damages against Tinsley, claiming he created a “hostile work environment” by making unwanted advancements and sending explicit texts. DMB denied previously knowing about the allegations.

Ben Affleck issued an apology on Oct. 11, a day after Hilarie Burton said he groped her during a 2003 appearance on "Total Request Live." Affleck tweeted, "I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize."

In 2017, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys responded to allegations that he sexually assaulted Melissa Schuman, formerly a member of the pop group Dream. Schuman wrote in a blog post that Carter forced her to engage in a sexual act against her will. 

In a statement to USA TODAY at the same, Carter denied assaulting Schuman and expressed that any interactions were consensual. "I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations," the singer said. "Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later." 

After a 2017 New York Times story accused Louis C.K. of exposing himself and masturbating in front of colleagues without their consent, the comedian acknowledged the women's stories were "true" in a statement indicating he had grasped the weight of his actions. "The power I had over these women is that they admired me.  And I wielded that power irresponsibly," he wrote, adding, "there is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am."

After stepping out of the spotlight for about a year, C.K. has since returned to comedy. On Nov. 23, 2021, the comedian was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for best comedy album for his special, "Sincerely Louis C.K." His nomination was met with backlash from sexual assault survivors. 

In 2017, actor and comedian Andy Dick was fired from his role in the film "Raising Buchanan" after he was accused of "groping people’s genitals, unwanted kissing/licking and sexual propositions of at least four members of the production on the set," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Dick denied groping claims, but admitted to licking and propositioning people.

In 2017, producer and writer Gary Goddard was accused by 8 former child actors of sexual misconduct following claims made by "ER" actor Anthony Edwards. Edwards accused Goddard of molesting him as a child and raping his best friend. Edwards says the abuse went on for years.

Goddard denied the allegations in a statement. "If it were possible to prove a negative, Mr. Goddard would debate these 40 year old allegations," the statement read. "Since that is not possible he will not respond other than to repeat his previous categorical denial."

David Guillod, a manager, producer and Co-CEO of Primary Wave Entertainment, was accused by actress Jessica Barth of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2012 when he was working as her manager. According to The New York Times, in 2020, Guillod was charged with 11 felony counts including rape. 

On Nov. 1, 2017, Anna Graham Hunter alleged that Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman groped her and talked about sex in front of her while she was a 17-year-old intern on the set of his 1985 TV movie adaptation of "Death of a Salesman."

Hoffman apologized in a statement to the Associated Press, saying, "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation… It is not reflective of who I am."

The following day, a second accuser, Wendy Riss Gatsiounis told Variety the actor made verbal advances and tried to convince her to go to a hotel.

Ethan Kath (real name Claudio Palmieri), a songwriter and producer of Canadian music group Crystal Castles, was accused of rape by former bandmate Alice Glass in a letter posted on her website in 2017. "Over a period of many months, he gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed. It wasn’t always consensual," she wrote.

His response: "I am outraged and hurt by the recent statements made by Alice about me and our prior relationship. Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice."

Andrew Kreisberg, executive producer of CW superhero series "Arrow," "The Flash," "Supergirl" and "Legends of Tomorrow," was fired by Warner Bros., USA TODAY confirmed Nov. 29, 2017.

Earlier that month, Variety published a story in which 15 women and four men alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate physical contact. "We take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and are committed to creating a safe working environment for our employees and everyone involved in our productions," a statement from the network read. 

John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, took a six-month leave of absence following what he called "missteps" in a memo obtained by USA TODAY on Nov. 21, 2017.

The news broke as The Hollywood Reporter was compiling a report into alleged sexual misconduct. No accuser agreed to be named. Disney announced Lasseter's permanent departure in June 2018 

Jennifer Lopez's longtime manager Benny Medina was accused of attempted rape by Jason Dottley in an interview published by The Advocate on Nov. 10, 2017.

A statement from Medina's lawyers Howard Weitzman and Shawn Holley to USA TODAY said Medina "categorically denies the allegation of attempted rape." 

"Girls" writer Murray Miller was accused of sexually assaulting actress Aurora Perrineau, left, in 2012 when she was 17. Miller denied the accusation, providing a statement to USA TODAY at the time, saying:  "Mr. Miller categorically and vehemently denies Ms. Perrineau’s outrageous claims. After being contacted several weeks ago by lawyers who — on Ms. Perrineau’s behalf — sought substantial monetary damages from him, Mr. Miller’s legal team gathered overwhelming evidence directly contradicting these false and offensive claims." 

Twiggy Ramirez (real name Jeordie White), the former bassist and guitarist of the band Marilyn Manson, was accused of rape Oct. 20, 2017 by Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka Addams, who shared in a Facebook post that White physically and sexually assaulted her while they were dating.

On Oct. 24, lead singer Marilyn Manson announced on his Twitter account he parted with Jeordie White as a member of the band. 

"Silicon Valley" actor Thomas Middleditch was accused of sexual misconduct stemming from an incident at a now-defunct Los Angeles night club. The allegations against him were detailed in a March 2021 Los Angeles Times report, where a woman named Hannah Harding revealed she and her female friend were "groped" by the actor at the Hollywood nightclub Cloak & Dagger in October 2019.

According to the report, Harding said Middleditch "made lewd sexual overtures towards her and her girlfriend" and "kept pursuing" Harding, who was 21 at the time, despite rejections to his advances.

Comedian Chris D'Elia was accused of sexually exploiting and soliciting pornography from a 17-year-old in a lawsuit filed in March 2021. According to the federal complaint, D'Elia "solicited and received scores of sexually explicit photos and videos" from the plaintiff, referred to as "Jane Doe," when she was 17 and he was 34. A lawyer for D'Elia said the comedian denies the allegations and looks forward to defending against them in court.

In June 2020, accusations that D'Elia has engaged in inappropriate messaging with underage teenage girls flooded social media after Twitter user Simone Rossi accused him of "grooming" her when she was 16. Two women came forward in September 2020 to accuse D'Elia of sexual misconduct, alleging the comedian exposed himself to them without their consent. The podcast host issued a statement denying the allegations at the time.

Chris Savino, an animator and writer best known for creating "The Loud House," was fired from Nickelodeon after multiple women lodged complaints against him. He's seen here with producer Karen Malach, left, and writer Karla Sakas Shropshire during "The Loud House" event presented by Nickelodeon during Day Two of aTVfest in this 2016 file photo.

Mark Schwahn, a screenwriter best known for creating the popular TV series "One Tree Hill," was accused of "traumatizing" sexual harassment by 18 cast and crew members of the show, including Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton, in a letter published in Variety on Nov. 13, 2017. 

Music mogul Russell Simmons was accused of assault by Keri Claussen Khalighi, an aspiring model who was 17 when she says Simmons assaulted her and coerced her into performing oral sex while Brett Ratner was present, according to a report from The Los Angeles Times on Nov. 19, 2017. Then on Nov. 30, he announced he was stepping down from all of his companies and foundations.

Simmons denied the allegationsthrough a lengthy 2018 statement issued by his rep: "I vehemently deny all these allegations. These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual."

Former "That's So Raven" star Kyle Massey was charged in July 2021 with a felony in the state of Washington and was accused of sending sexually explicit photos and videos to a 13-year-old.

The lawsuit filed June 14 alleges that between December 2018 and January 2019 Massey, who was 27-years-old at the time, sent sexually explicit content via Snapchat to a 13-year-old girl identified only as MR in court documents. The felony charge stems from a 2019 civil lawsuit the girl's mother filed in California that was later dropped by her lawyers because "Massey didn't have enough money to make the case worth it."

At the time, Massey issued a statement through his lawyer Lee Hutton denying the accusations.

"Star Trek" original cast member George Takei denied the claim of former model Scott R. Brunton alleging Takei groped him in the actor's Los Angeles condominium in 1981.

The accusations of sexual misconduct are numbered in the hundreds against screenwriter and director James Toback ("The Pick-up Artist," "Two Girls and a Guy") according to reports from the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 27, 2017. The Times says 31 of the women spoke on the record about their encounters with Toback, which go back decades, and more than 270 have contacted journalist Glenn Whipp with similar claims. Julianne Moore accused Toback via Twitter on Oct. 24, 2017, of luring aspiring actresses to his hotel room for an audition, adding it happened to her in the 1980s. Rachel McAdams and Selma Blair joined the accusers list.

Executive producer Matthew Weiner known for creating the show "Mad Men" was accused of sexual harassment by Kater Gordon, a staff writer on the AMC drama in 2017. Allegedly, Weiner told her late one night she ''owed it to him to let him see her naked." She said she didn’t report the comment officially because she was afraid of losing her job. A year after the incident, Gordon was let go from "Mad Men." Weiner stands by that he doesn't remember making the comment.

In 2019 Stoney Westmoreland, who played the grandfather on the Disney Channel’s "Andi Mack," was arrested on federal charges of enticing a 13-year-old boy for sex.