Posted in: ABC, TV | Tagged: ABC, bleeding cool, bryan callen, cable, Chris D'Elia, schooled, sitcom, streaming, television, the goldbergs, tv

The Goldbergs Star Bryan Callen Accused of Sexual Assault, Misconduct

Published Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:01:12 -0500

by Ray Flook

Last updated Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:06:50 -0500

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Standup comedian and ABC's The Goldbergs star Bryan Callen is being accused of sexual assault and misconduct by four women in a Los Angeles Times report. Known for his role as high school gym teacher Rick Mellor on the hit ABC comedy as well as on its since-canceled spinoff Schooled, Callen will reportedly not appear in the show's upcoming eighth season though sources tell Variety that the reason is storyline-related and not a reaction to the allegations. At the time of initial reporting, series producer Sony Pictures Television declined to comment and ABC could not be reached for a statement.

Bryan Callen from The Goldbergs (Image: ABC)

In the Los Angeles Times report, actor and comedian Katherine Fiore Tigerman alleges that she was raped by Callen in 1999, while Rachel Green Rachel accuses Callen of trying to force himself on her during a 2009 encounter in an American Apparel fitting room. The most recent allegation was made by comedian Tiffany King, who claims Callen offered her additional stage time and even money in exchange for sexual favors in 2017. The accusations against Callen come less than two months after fellow comedian and ex-co-hosting partner Chris D'Elia was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Callen and D'Elia were set to host a Netflix prank show, but that project was put down by the streamer once the accusations against D'Elia surfaced. Interestingly, Callen still spoke of D'Elia in a favorable light during his The Fighter and the Kid podcast, saying that "he's still a friend."

"Let me be very clear: I have never raped, forced myself upon a woman nor have I offered to trade stage time for sex. Ever," Callen said in a statement released to Variety through his representatives. While you can read the full statement here, Callen ends his defense by saying, "I know the truth. And I can only hold my head up high, remain true to myself, my family, my audience and know that I will not allow the cancel culture to subvert what I know and as importantly, what these women know, is the truth."

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