Former Joss Whedon Associates Back Abuse Claims

Following actress Charisma Carpenter publicly alleging that director Joss Whedon regularly engaged in abusive behavior on the set of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” a number of former Whedon associates have come forward to bolster Carpenter’s claims.

In a lengthy post on social media last week, Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia on “Buffy” and the spinoff show “Angel,” claimed that Whedon was “mean and biting” after she became pregnant, calling her fat and putting her through intentionally difficult work hours.

“He called me in for a sit-down meeting to interrogate and berate me regarding a rosary tattoo I got to help me feel more spiritually grounded in an increasingly volatile work environment that affected me physically,” she said.

“Joss intentionally refused multiple calls from my agents making it impossible to connect with him to tell him the news that I was pregnant,” she continued. “Finally, once Joss was apprised of the situation, he requested a meeting with me. In that closed-door meeting, he asked if I was ‘going to keep it’ and manipulatively weaponized my faith and womanhood against me. He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season after I gave birth.”

Shortly after Charisma Carpenter’s accusations went viral, actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Eliza Dushku all backed her claims. Days later, former “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” showrunner Marti Noxon publicly spoke in support of Whedon’s accusers.

“I would like to validate what the women of Buffy are saying and support them in telling their story. They deserve to be heard,” Noxon wrote on Twitter. “I understand where Charisma, Amber, Michelle and all the women who have spoken out are coming from.”

I would like to validate what the women of Buffy are saying
and support them in telling their story. They deserve to be heard.

I understand where @AllCharisma, Amber, Michelle and all
the women who have spoken out are coming from.

Kater Gordon and I 1/2

— NOX NOX WHO’S WEARING A MASK? (@martinoxon) February 12, 2021

Beyond the “Buffy” crew, writer Jose Molina, who worked on the fan favorite series “Firefly,” revealed that Whedon would often brag about making female writers cry, describing the director as “casually cruel.”

“‘Casually cruel’ is a perfect way of describing Joss. He thought being mean was funny. Making female writers cry during a notes session was especially hysterical. He actually liked to boast about the time he made one writer cry twice in one meeting,” wrote Molina on Twitter.

Molina was responding to a tweet from former “Buffy” star Amber Benson, who publicly said that the show fostered a “toxic environment.”

“Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. [Charisma] 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,” she tweeted.

“Casually cruel” is a perfect way of describing Joss. He thought being mean was funny. Making female writers cry during a notes session was especially hysterical. He actually liked to boast about the time he made one writer cry twice in one meeting. #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter https://t.co/SgPF1rgRby

— Jose Molina (@JoseMolinaTV) February 13, 2021

As of this writing, no high-level industry professionals have come out in defense of Joss Whedon, who has yet to publicly address the allegations made against him.

Related: ‘Buffy’ Actress Michelle Trachtenberg: ‘There Was A Rule’ Joss Whedon Couldn’t Be Alone With Me

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