Sarah Michelle Gellar and more Buffy stars respond to ‘not appropriate’ Joss Whedon allegations: ‘There was a lot of damage done during that time’
'I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon'
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Your support makes all the difference.Sarah Michelle Gellar and other former cast members from Buffy the Vampire Slayer have come out in support of co-star Charisma Carpenter after the actor's statement against series creator Joss Whedon.
“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,” Gellar wrote in a statement on Instagram.
The actor continued, saying she would not be making any further statements, and is currently “more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic.” She added, however, “I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.”
Gellar's comment comes after her Buffy co-star Charisma Carpenter posted a statement to Twitter on Wednesday (10 February) alleging that Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions” on the sets of Buffy and Angel, where he allegedly asked her, after learning she was pregnant, if she was “going to keep it”. Though her pregnancy was written into the show, she was later fired after giving birth.
RELATED: Brief timeline of allegations against Joss Whedon as Buffy stars denounce creator
Carpenter's statement came after Justice League actor Ray Fisher alleged that Whedon engaged in “gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable” behavior on the set of the 2017 film.
Actor Michelle Trachtenberg, who portrayed Gellar's younger sister Dawn on Buffy, also posted to her Instagram feed, backing up Carpenter and Gellar's statements.
“Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this,” Trachtenberg wrote. “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……” Later, Trachtenberg added, “What he did was very bad. But we win. By surviving!”
Likewise, fellow Buffy actor Amber Benson, who portrayed Tara on the show, posted to Twitter alleging that the show was a “toxic environment and it starts from the top.”
“There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later,” Benson wrote.
Additionally, Clare Kramer, who played Glory on Season 5 of Buffy, wrote on Twitter she also stood with Carpenter, Benson, and Fisher “and others who have the strength to come forward with their truth. A lot of this industry needs a reset.”
Representatives for Whedon have not commented on Carpenter's allegations at this time.
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