Charisma Carpenter accuses Joss Whedon of ‘toxic’ behavior

Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in the Joss Whedon series Buffy the vampire slayer and angel from 1997 to 2004, made allegations of emotionally abusive and unprofessional behavior by Whedon as a director and producer. In one two-part statement posted on Twitter on February 10, captioned “My Truth,” Carpenter states that Whedon’s inappropriate and cruel behavior on set, especially when she was pregnant, triggered chronic fitness and anxiety. She writes of his “permanent, passive-aggressive threats,” and that he was “mean and biting, openly denigrating others and often playing favorites, pitting people against each other to compete and fight for his attention. and its approval. ” This statement also has the hashtag #IStandWithRayFisher.

Carpenter also describes a particular incident of emotionally abusive behavior during her pregnancy during the filming of angel: “He asked me if I was going to ‘keep him’ and manipulated my femininity and my faith in a manipulative way against me. He attacked my character, mocked my religious beliefs, accused me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth. Carpenter says Whedon then gave her a morning call hour after her doctor “recommended that my work hours be shortened” and that due to the stress and the long hours, she experienced Braxton Hicks contractions. Carpenter admits that she’s been suppressing her own pain for years, but the Time’s Up movement has motivated her to come forward because “[o]Our society and our industry vilify victims and glorify abusers for their accomplishments. It is the responsibility of victims of abuse to expect to accept and adapt in order to be employable. No liability on the transgressor who sails unscathed. Impenitent. Without remorse.”

Carpenter released the statement in solidarity with actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in Justice League. Fisher accused Whedon of abusive behavior and racism on the set of covers of that film, which prompted WarnerMedia to launch an internal investigation into Fisher’s allegations. In his statement, Carpenter says he participated in Warner’s Justice League “Because I think Ray is a person of integrity who speaks the truth”, and it “bothers and saddens me that in 2021 professionals ALWAYS have to choose between whistleblowing in the workplace and workplace safety. ’employment. In January 2021, Warner Bros. cut Fisher from the cast of the next DC film Flash, in which he was supposed to reprise his role as Cyborg. Carpenter calls this shot “the last drop”.

Updated February 10, 1:10 p.m.: Amber Benson, who played Tara on Buffy, shared her support for Charisma Carpenter on Twitter, writing, “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharisma telling the truth and I support it 100%. There has been a lot of damage during this time and many of us are still dealing with it over twenty years later.