If there's one celebrity out there who is unequivocally loved, it's probably Robert Downey Jr. I mean, how
can you not think he's awesome? He's Iron Man after all, and no one else could play that role as well as him. But his performance as the armour-plated Avenger isn't all he's notable for. He first made a name for himself as an SNL cast member and on Ally McBeal, before moving on to meatier roles in the
Charlie Chaplin biopic and movies such as Zodiac and Good Night and Good Luck. Although he's one of Hollywood's best-known leading men these days, it wasn't always so. There was a time when RDJ was better known for his disorderly behaviour and drug convictions than his acting talents. Like Lindsay Lohan, RDJ was the guy who was always on the front page of the tabloids and always in and out of rehab.
Just when it seemed as though he'd taken an irreversible nosedive, Jon Favreau cast him as Tony Stark, and the rest is history. RDJ has managed to stay sober and turn his life around completely. But is there another side to him? One that he's successfully managed to hide from the public eye for years? Is Robert Downey Jr. secretly a Hollywood whistleblower, exposing some of the corruption that has festered in Tinseltown over the years? In the post-Weinstein age, where more and more people in the entertainment industry are being forced to air their dirty laundry, the question is more relevant than ever.
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For some time rumours have circulated that Robert Downey Jr. once ran the gossip blog "Crazy Days and Nights", writing under the pseudonym of "Himmmm" or "Enty" who claims to be a high-profile lawyer. Downey Jr. for his part, has denied that he has had any part in the writing of the blog, and appeared to be wholly ignorant of it. But since the claims that the content of the blog is potentially libellous, it's clear that anyone, celebrity or not, would endeavour to keep their identity secret if they were writing it. The truth is that we will probably never know the truth about these claims, but that hasn't stopped internet commenters and fans of the blog from speculating that Downey Jr. might have been behind it.
Some of the claims that "Enty" makes about the rich and famous sound almost too disturbing and debased to credit and should absolutely be taken with a generous helping of salt. But many fans of the blog have noticed that the evidence appears to corroborate with verifiable facts only an insider with numerous connections in the industry would know and when sleuths attempted to match up blind items that had been revealed and discover Enty's identity, RDJ was the top candidate. When Enty posted a long list of "decent people" they were personally acquainted with,
RDJ had worked with or was apparently known friends with everyone on the list, including his own agent. Not long after commenters discovered this, the account went dark.
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For example, in one profanity-laden paragraph, Enty makes a number of extreme allegations about the domestic abuse suffered by a young female actress, stating: "This former B-list television actress who was on a really big hit network show just a couple of years ago now just seems to float mindlessly and flit between boyfriends. She comes from a broken home and abusive home. Her dad used to beat her and get into bed with her ... Her mom just let it happen because she was being beaten herself and did not want to provoke. Well, now the actress who is still very young only seems to date boyfriends who are abusive and willing to hit her. Her last boyfriend (former A list athlete with B list name recognition) was so scared that he would kill her if he [if] he broke up with her. Her new celebrity boyfriend does not punch nearly as hard but seems to love it. Probably getting out his anger because he is closeted."
Enty also claimed that he had worked with
Natasha Gregson, stating: "Like her mother, Natasha is an amazing woman and amazing actress who is a great person in every way. I know a lot of you have speculated that I’m some nobody nut-case pretending to be someone else. Pretending to be a movie star when in fact I’m not. I think that’s kind of hilarious. But if you want to call Natasha and ask her the name of the male actor she co-starred with in a movie with
Heather Graham, then go for it. Call her at home if you want to but be polite. Her number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX. And remember, she’s NOT in on this so don’t blame or interrogate her." Downey Jr. appeared in the James Toback film Two Guys and A Girl, alongside Heather Graham and Wagner, back in 1997.
But is Enty sincerely giving us a hint as to his real identity? Or is some attention-seeking troll making groundless claims to increase blog traffic? Alan Nierob, RDJ's publicist denied that Enty was his client, stating: "Of course it’s not," when cornered. It could be that these RDJ hints are a smokescreen to draw attention away from the blogger's true identity.
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In 2012, the New York Post apparently communicated with Enty, who took great pains to keep his identity a secret, only contacting journalists via private messaging. Enty claimed that: "I am not 400 pounds and living in the basement ...
I don’t reveal things that make people look really bad ... In the industry, only five people know who I am." The
New York Post believed that Enty was a lawyer, but that his allegations were spurious at best.
So, if this anonymous source is making these wild accusations, and stealing RDJ's identity to boot, then why hasn't he been sued for defamation? The truth is that
Enty’s hidden domain makes it hard for lawyer's to know who registered his site, and by inference pursue legal action against him. Not only that, but libel laws in the United States mean that RDJ would be forced to prove that information was false and posted with malicious intent, to say nothing of those celebrities that Enty accuses of abuse, drug use and sexual assault.
In the last few weeks, we've come to learn a lot of distressing things about Hollywood and some big names, such as
and
, have been accused of horrific crimes. However, just because we uncovered new information doesn't mean that we should become completely credulous. We can't know for sure whether or not Robert Downey Jr. is responsible for these posts or not, but until he admits to it personally we should err on the side of scepticism.
