Since last summer, Joss Whedon has been embroiled in a controversy stemming from his work on Warner Bros.’ Justice League. Now, the producer and director is facing a different situation that involves his days on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy star Charisma Carpenter has now accused Whedon of “harassment” and misconduct while she worked with him on Buffy and Angel. Now, other stars, including Buffy Summers herself Sarah Michelle Gellar, have responded to Carpenter’s claims.
After Charisma Carpenter made claims against Joss Whedon in a lengthy social media post, Sarah Michelle Gellar took to Instagram to post a message of her own. In the post, she expressed gratitude for being linked to the Buffy franchise but said she wishes not to be associated with Whedon. She also expressed support for those who have spoken out on the abuse they’ve experienced. You can see her original message below:
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s post was followed by an Instagram post from former co-star Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Dawn Summers. Trachtenberg reposted Gellar’s sentiments and also included a caption in which she thanked her co-star for speaking out and made mention of Whedon’s alleged “not appropriate behavior”:
Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. 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....very. Not. Appropriate.
Amber Benson, who played Tara Mclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chimed in on the situation through a Twitter post. Retweeting Charisma Carpenter’s original message, Benson expressed support for her former co-star and referred to the set of Buffy as “toxic”:
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.
Charisma Carpenter accused Joss Whedon of harassment on set, saying that he “abused his power” on more than one ocassion. She also alleges that Whedon insulted her while she was pregnant on the set of Angel and asserts that her pregnancy was the reason he ultimately fired her from the show. As of right now, representatives of Joss Whedon have yet to respond to Charisma Carpenter’s allegations.
In her post, Carpenter confirmed that she took part in Warner Bros.’ recent investigation involving Justice League, and she expressed support for actor Ray Fisher as well. Fisher, who made the initial claims of “gross” and “abusive” behavior against Joss Whedon, lent his support to Carpenter on Twitter after she came forward:
Charisma Carpenter and her former co-stars aren’t the only ones to make mention of Whedon’s behavior on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Jeff Pruitt, who worked as a stuntman on the show, previously accused Whedon of being an “egomaniac” and claimed that Whedon cost him job opportunities after he left the show.
