Several Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson have come forward to support the allegations made against the show’s creator Joss Whedon for abusing his power and creating a toxic work environment. The allegations were made on Whedon’s unacceptable behaviours of sexism, abuse and being ‘casually cruel’ on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel. The allegations have been levied by Charisma Carpenter who came forward after Ray Fisher spoke against the director while working with him on Justice League.
Taking to Instagram, Sarah, who played the titular role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 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.”
Sarah’s Buffy co-star Charisma posted a lengthy statement on Twitter earlier alleging Whedon ‘abused his power on numerous occasions’, including calling her fat while she was four months pregnant and asking whether she was ‘going to keep it’. She also alleged that she was fired from the show after giving birth and while filming she was given 1 am call for work after her doctor had recommended shortening her hours after she began experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions due to the ‘long and physically demanding days’. In her statement she wrote that she believed the slot was ‘retaliatory’.
— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021
After Charisma’s and Sarah’s statement, their co-stars Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy Summers’ younger sister Dawn on the show, re-posted the latter’s statement to her own Instagram feed, and commented that Whedon’s behavior with her ‘as a teenager’ was ‘not appropriate’.
Amber, who played Tara, the girlfriend of wiccan Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and was killed off in Season 6 of Buffy took to Twitter to call the show’s set as ‘toxic environment and it starts at the top’. She further supported Charisma for speaking out and wrote, “There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later.”
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 https://t.co/WJAmDGm76C
— Amber Benson (@amber_benson) February 10, 2021
Clare Kramer, who played the villain Glory on Season 5 of Buffy, wrote on Twitter that she stands with Charisma, Ray, Amber and others. She wrote, “A lot of this industry needs a reset.”
For what it’s worth, I believe and stand with @allcharisma, @ray8fisher, @amber_benson and others who have the strength to come forward with their truth. A lot of this industry needs a reset..... #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter #IStandWithRayFisher
— Clare Kramer (@ClareKramer) February 10, 2021
Fisher also supported Charisma for coming out against Whedon and called her “one of the bravest people I know.”
Charisma Carpenter is one of the bravest people I know.
I am forever grateful for her courage and for her lending her voice to the Justice League investigation.
Read her truth.
Share her truth.
Protect her at all costs.
“It is time.”
A>E#IStandWithCharisma https://t.co/XcT8OnAfbV
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) February 10, 2021
(Source: Instagram/Twitter)
