Sarah Michelle Gellar has responded to the claims of abuse perpetrated by writer and showrunner Joss Whedon on the set of the hit 90s show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In a statement made on her official Instagram account, the 43-year-old star of The Grudge wrote to her 3.5 million followers, addressing the claims made by her fellow Buffy co-star Charisma Carpenter.
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Gellar wrote:
"While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.
"I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time.
"But I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out."
Per Variety, on Wednesday, February 10, actress Charisma Carpenter, who played the character of mean girl cheerleader Cordelia Chase on Buffy and the later spin-off Angel, took to Twitter to talk about her negative experiences with Whedon after he learned she was pregnant.
Carpenter claimed:
"[H]e asked me if I was 'going to keep it,' and manipulatively weaponized my womanhood and faith against me.
"He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me following the season once I gave birth."
"Unfortunately, all this was happening during one of the most wonderful time[s] in new motherhood. All that promise and joy sucked right out. And Joss was the vampire."
Variety reports that Carpenter felt compelled to speak out against Whedon after actor Ray Fisher alleged that he abused his power on the set of the Justice League movie, and participated in the Warner Bros investigation into the 2017 production.
A number of other former Buffy cast members have also come out in support of Carpenter.
For instance, Michelle Trachtenberg, who portrayed Buffy's younger sister Dawn from season five onwards, also shared Gellar's statement on Instagram.
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Trachtenberg wrote in a caption:
"Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman....To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior....very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did. [sic]."
Meanwhile, actress Amber Benson, who played the character of Tara Maclay on Buffy, also took to Twitter to support Carpenter's claims.
Benson wrote: "Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%.
"There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later. #IStandWithRayFisher #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter [sic]."
VT has contacted Whedon for comment.