Following Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress Charisma Carpenter’s recent accusations of abusive behavior against Joss Whedon, many of her co-stars have come forward, either offering support or their own perspectives on the “toxic” environment he allegedly created. Now Buffy co-star and the lead actor of its spinoff Angel David Boreanaz has dropped his own comment on social media, expressing support for Carpenter and saying he’s proud of her strength.
The short post was made yesterday on Twitter, four days after allegations first went public. She also responded to Boreanaz, saying she appreciates all the support he’s given to her privately, “especially since Wednesday.” You can see the exchange below…
If nothing else, this quick back-and-forth is a good reminder for all of us that social media is only a small piece of a much larger picture when it comes to people’s relationships. There’s clearly more behind the scenes going on between these former co-stars, just as there was obviously a lot more going on behind the scenes on Buffy The Vampire Slayer then we knew at the time, especially as it relates to the less-than-ideal environment show creator Joss Whedon has been accused of facilitating.
Conversations around that work culture began on February 10th with a social media post by Charisma Carpenter. In it, she expressed support for Justice League star Ray Fisher, who has made his own allegations. The Buffy and Angel star also recounted her experience working with Whedon. She said the director consistently threatened to fire her, mocked her religious beliefs, berated her for getting a rosary tattoo, called her fat in front of crew members, accused her of “sabotaging the show” by getting pregnant and later followed through on his threats and fired her after she gave birth, among many other allegations.
Her initial post was followed by supportive ones from many of her co-stars. Amber Benson said she was telling the truth and the environment was “toxic.” Lead actress Sarah Michelle Gellar released her own comment saying she doesn’t want to be “forever associated” with Joss Whedon, and Michelle Trachtenberg reposted it, saying his behavior was “not appropriate.” Showrunner Marti Noxton later released her own statement saying she supports everyone coming forward and understands where they’re coming from.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel mean a lot to millions of fans. It was a show that punched well above its weight class in cultural relevance, and it certainly punched well above its weight class in terms of fan dedication. You can tell from many of the comments released by cast members that they are deeply proud of the work they did and the connection they made with fans.
As for Joss Whedon himself, he recently stepped away from his upcoming HBO show The Nevers, citing “unprecedented challenges.” He was also recently at the center of a Warner Bros investigation over his role in alleged mistreatment on the set of Justice League, which he came in to finish after Zack Snyder left the project. Snyder’s own Cut of the that film is scheduled to be released later this year and already has its own trailer.
