Posted in: Disney+, Movies, TV | Tagged: beau demayo, marvel, X-Men '97

X-Men '97: Beau DeMayo Addresses Disney/Marvel Allegations & More

While his attorney took legal action over his X-Men '97 firing, Beau DeMayo took to OnlyFans to address the allegations from Disney/Marvel.

Heading into September, the public back-and-forth between X-Men '97 creator/writer Beau DeMayo and Marvel Studios over DeMayo's firing had pretty much died down following Attorney Bryan Freedman issuing a statement on behalf of DeMayo and addressing some of the specific allegations with the media. But that changed in two significant ways earlier today, with Deadline Hollywood reporting exclusively that Freedman has filed a complaint seeking an expedited jury trial with the Los Angeles Superior Court to have what the attorney alleges is an "illegal non-disparagement provision" removed from DeMayo's employment exit package documents. In addition, DeMayo took to OnlyFans to challenge the claim from Disney and Marvel that he was terminated due to the "egregious nature of the findings" resulting from an internal misconduct probe (with Bleeding Cool having previously retraced the timelines of events between both parties).

"The rumors being spread around me online are lies, and they are offensive, but more concerning is that they're a smear campaign designed to discredit my credibility in order to cover up the egregious prejudicial misconduct stretching from select crew members on 'X-Men '97,' all the way to the top at Marvel Studios," DeMayo shared during the nearly 30-minute video (as reported by DH). Though noting that "personality conflicts happen" and that he's "not everyone's cup of tea," DeMayo claims that it was his "being gay, Black and open about it at Marvel Studios" that eventually led to his firing.

"In the end, the offenses Marvel and others have leaked are designed to distract you from what really offended them. Someone like me dared to speak truth to people like them. They wanted me to be the Black stamp of approval on this project, I declined. They wanted to erase aspects of my personality that clashed or proved inconvenient with the misguided narratives they wanted to establish. I declined. They tried to intimidate me with both explicit and implied threats. I was not intimidated," DeMayo stated. "Everything they have done since then has been designed not just to silence me and smear me but to crush me and to remind me to know my role." DeMayo also had this to share with Disney and Marvel: "I have the receipts and the eyewitnesses, so long as you stop coercing them to lie, you can keep attacking me with lies and misinformation, but we can become the ugliest, most annoying version of that of that … or you can start acting like a studio that is worthy of a show like 'X Men '97.'"

On the legal side of things, Freedman's six-page filing from earlier today also included a number of allegations against defendant Marvel Animation Studios, writing that DeMayo "bore witness to and endured rampant discriminatory and harassing conduct during his years-long tenure with the Company." Freedman went on to claim that the attempt to silence DeMayo as part of his termination was the result of DeMayo possessing "copious knowledge regarding Marvel's illicit and unsafe employment practices." Freedman pointed to what he claims is "an illegal non-disparagement provision" that was put into play "to muzzle an openly gay Black man and restrict his statutory rights." Freedman included a look at the provision from DeMayo's exit NDA that the attorney claims put DeMayo into a situation where his "bonus and writing credits" were tied to his keeping quiet. Here's a look at the provision that Freedman noted:

Lender [Marvel] and Artist [DeMayo] hereby agree to seek the prior approval of Marvel on the substance of any press release, news story, announcement, publicity, or comments to the press relating to the change of relationship between the Parties in connection with this Settlement Agreement, the DeMayo Agreements, any of Artist's services to Marvel (including Artist's working relationships with anyone Artist knows to be a current or former employee or representative of Marvel or its affiliated companies), the Series, or the early termination of the DeMayo Agreements. Once the initial mutually approved press release is issued, Lender and Artist can refer such requests to the initial press release without seeking approval. Further, Lender, Artist, and Marvel hereby agree that the Parties will mutually agree in advance on the date of issuance of any press release, news story, announcement, or publicity relating to the change of relationship between the Parties in connection with this Settlement Agreement, the DeMayo Agreements, or the early termination of the DeMayo Agreements. Lender and Artist shall make no disparaging or derogatory statements or remarks concerning the Series or Marvel or its affiliated companies, anyone they know to be current or former employees or representatives of Marvel or its affiliated companies in a manner that could reasonably be expected to cause reputational injury to Marvel or its affiliated companies.

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