In February 2016, actor Terry Crews alleged that Hollywood agent Adam Venit groped his groin twice. In November of 2017, Crews filed a police report, but the district attorney rejected a felony filing in March and sent the case to the city attorney, who said the case was barred by the statute of limitations.
The alleged groping did not rise to a felony because — and this is real — Venit did not make contact with Crews’ skin when the star said his genitals were grabbed.
Crews testified Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights. In a passionate speech, the actor opened up about “the cult of toxic masculinity” based on his own experience and the damage that he said has been done to his career.
“Hollywood definitely has been a problem area, simply because so many people view this as a dream. And what happens is, someone has power over these dreams and what happens also is that you get tricked into thinking that this type of behavior is expected, that it’s part of the job, that this harassment, abuse, even rape is part of your job description,” he testified.
“I probably would have been laughed out of the police station,” he said of his own alleged experience of being assaulted. “A year later, once the #MeToo movement took full swing, it was safe to come out. When you are victimized, you are now behind enemy lines and you are trying to find a way out … You’re trying to find your way to safety. No one around is going to help you. No one is going to believe you.”
He added: “What happened to me has happened to many, many other men in Hollywood, and since I came forward with my story I have had thousands and thousands of men come to me and say ‘Me too, this is my story. But I did not have the confidence, or I did not feel safe enough, to come out. Because what happens is you get blacklisted, your career is in danger — after that, no one wants to work with you.”
Crews also revealed he was fired from the “Expendables” movie franchise when he refused to drop his lawsuit against Venit.
Watch below:
We have seen very little of Crews since he went public with being assaulted. We hope he is given a chance to work again.
SEE ALSO:
WTH? ‘Black Panther’ Writer Roxane Gay Was Not Invited To The Movie Premiere
Can Racial Profiling Be Stopped? A Federal Jury Sides With The Louisiana State Police
