Posted in: CW, HBO, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: Amber Benson, angel, bleeding cool, buffy, cable, charisma carpenter, Dawn Summers, joss whedon, Michelle Trachtenberg, ryan fisher, sarah michelle gellar, streaming, tara, television, tv

Buffy Stars Trachtenberg, Benson Support Carpenter; Ray Fisher Posts

The fallout from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel star Charisma Carpenter's (Cordelia) accusations against Joss Whedon of years of unprofessional and abusive behavior continued Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar released a statement via social media distancing herself from Whedon and expressing her support of all abuse victims who choose to speak out, fellow cast members Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers) and Amber Benson (Tara Maclay) have taken to social media to support Carpenter and also confirm that working with Whedon was as Benson describes, a "toxic environment."

In the first post, Trachtenberg thanks Gellar for also issuing a statement, further writing, "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." Following that, Benson confirmed Carpenter's description of what the work environment was like, adding "there was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later." Here's a look at the two posts:

Carpenter's original post was done not just to show support for Ray Fisher (Justice League) in his impending standoff with WarnerMedia over his allegations against Whedon but to also let everyone know that she was involved in WarnerMedia's investigation. Fisher took to social media to thank Carpenter for revealing to the investigation what her experiences with Whedon were like, and urged that her words be listened to:

Waiting "for nearly two decades" before speaking up, Carpenter claimed in her social media posts, "Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working on the sets of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel.' While he found his conduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively." You can read Carpenter's entire statement below, where the actress goes on to offer examples of her allegations as well as revealing that she took part in WarnerMedia's investigation into Fisher's claims.

Here's a look at the Buffy and Angel star's original tweets from earlier today:

On July 1, 2020, Fisher aka Cyborg took to Twitter to accuse Whedon of being abusive on the 2017 set not long after Whedon took over from Zack Snyder (who left the production due to a family tragedy), and that two other executives helped enable Whedon's alleged actions. WarnerMedia opened an investigation into Fisher's allegations, but in early September the company claimed that Fished wasn't cooperating with third-party investigators Fisher denied those claims, while friends co-stars such as Jason Mamoa began publically supporting Fisher and demanding WarnerMedia take action.

Then on November 24, word came down from Whedon that he was stepping away from his upcoming HBO series The Nevers. Whedon cited "the level of commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic" as being a major factor in his decision. "This year of unprecedented challenges has impacted my life and perspective in ways I could never have imagined, and while developing and producing the Nevers has been a joyful experience, I realize that the level of commitment required moving forward, combined with the physical challenges of making such a huge show during a global pandemic, is more than I can handle without the work beginning to suffer. I am genuinely exhausted and am stepping back to martial my energy towards my own life, which is also at the brink of exciting change," Whedon wrote in his own statement.

Whedon continued, "I am deeply proud of the work we have done; I'm grateful to all my extraordinary cast and collaborators, and to HBO for the opportunity to shape yet another strange world. The Nevers is a true labor of love, but after two-plus years of labor, love is about all I have to offer. It will never fade." HBO confirmed in a brief statement that it had parted ways with the show's creator, writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner. "We have parted ways with Joss Whedon. We remain excited about the future of The Nevers and look forward to its premiere," wrote the cable network in a statement.

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