Back in October, filmmaker Bryan Singer posted a message on social media claiming that there was going to be a new article published about allegations of sexual misconduct that were false. He claimed the article would be coming from Esquire and that the piece is “reckless” and “irresponsible.” Well, the article just dropped but it didn’t come from Esquire. The Atlantic posted a new report detailing new allegations from 4 more men that claim that Singer abused them when they were underage.
Right at the beginning, the report wants the readers to know that all the appropriate research had been done. The Atlantic claims it spoke to more than 50 sources and spent over 12 months researching. The end result is four men who have never come forward previously.
One man claims to have been 17 when he and Singer had sex at the directors home. Another was 15 when the director and he were intimate at a Beverly Hills mansion. Both of those incidents occurred in the same year, when Singer was in his early 30s, and both men claim that the filmmaker knew they were underage at the time. (The age of consent in California is 18.)
Perhaps the most damning of stories published details the experience of a then-13-year-old on the set of Singer’s film “Apt Pupil.” The man claims that Singer recruited him from a local neighborhood where filming was taking place. He was then asked to be an extra in a scene that would require the young man to be naked in a school shower. During his time on set, the man claims that Singer would come back to a private area where he was waiting and touch him on the chest multiple times. Then he claimed that Singer touched his genitals and rubbed his front on the young actor.
Obviously, Singer denies these allegations.
These new reports of underage sex and abuse come on the heels of Singer’s film “Bohemian Rhapsody” getting nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and winning the same award at the Golden Globes. Unrelated to these claims, Singer was fired by Fox for his erratic behavior on the set of that film.
It’ll be interesting to see if this is the report that will be enough for Singer to feel professional repercussions for the allegations. Unlike folks like Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Kevin Spacey, Singer has yet to have any professional effects from the numerous allegations. He recently signed on to direct “Red Sonja” and is reportedly going to get a paycheck for $10 million for his directing.