Buffy’ Star Michelle Trachtenberg Alleges “Not Appropriate Behavior” By Joss Whedon On Series; Gellar speaks out

Dalek · Feb 10, 2021

‘Buffy’ Star Michelle Trachtenberg Alleges “Not Appropriate Behavior” By Joss Whedon On Series; Follows Sarah Michelle Gellar Offering Support For Charisma Carpenter & “All Survivors Of Abuse” – Update

The tide of misconduct allegations against Joss Whedon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer actresses is turning into a tsunami.

deadline.com

The tide of misconduct allegations against Joss Whedon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer actresses is turning into a tsunami.

Minutes after Sarah Michelle Gellar responded to Charisma Carpenter's claims of abuse by theAvengers director by saying that she stands "with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out," Buffy co-star Michelle Trachtenberg has made startling accusations against Whedon.

"Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this," said the actress who played Gellar's on-screen little sister in the 1997-2003 SoCal supernatural series. "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."

RELATED STORY
'Buffy' Actress Charisma Carpenter Says Joss Whedon Was Abusive And Harassing On Set: 'Joss Was The Vampire'

Trachtenberg added to the online post: "What he did was very bad. But we win. By surviving!"

Reps for Whedon had no comment when contacted by Deadline for comment on the various claims.

PREVIOUSLY, 12:12 PM: Mere hours after Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Charisma Carpenter went public with allegations of abuse against Joss Whedon, Buffy herself has stepped forth to support her co-star.

Posting on social media, the usually quite private Sarah Michelle Gellar pushed way from the series creator and Avengers director in concise but pointed remarks. "I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out," the Cruel Intentions actress added, as you can see below:

Charisma Carpenter spoke out as well:

Former Buffy the Vampire and Angel actress Charisma Carpenter accused those shows' creator, Joss Whedon, of abusive and harassing behavior on set. In an Instagram message posted today, the actress says the incidents "triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer."

Carpenter claims the Buffy creator called her "fat" when she was 4 months pregnant, threatened to fire her and made people vie for his approval on set.

One specific instance she cites is when, in a closed-door meeting after learning of her pregnancy, Carpenter says Whedon "asked me if I was 'going to keep it.'" The actress says Whedon "proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth."

Seesaw15 · Feb 10, 2021

Flood gates are open now

Kor of Memory · Feb 10, 2021

Yeah, so I find I can't even watch Whedon products anymore. I've wanted to watch Buffy for a long time but just can't do it. I even tried to rewatch Firefly recently and couldn't even make it to the theme song of the first episode.

chandoog · Feb 10, 2021

What can we say except fuck Joss Whedon.

It’s Time To Go · Feb 10, 2021

Those poor people being abused by him. Scumbag, I'll never watch anything he's involved with again.

futurevoid · Feb 10, 2021

I never forgave him for writing off Cordy on Angel to begin with but the apparent reasons for why that happened just add even more shittiness now that they've come to light.

dude · Feb 10, 2021

Oh fuck. I was a huge Whedon fan, Buffy is the best show ever.

Fuck Whedon forever, garbage.

Mekanos · Feb 10, 2021

Feels like the bill's come due on this for a long time. Women have talked in whispers about Whedon mistreating them for yeeeeeeeeeeeears. Hope they get some sort of closure.

SasaBassa · Feb 10, 2021

Said it in the other thread: justice deserves to be served here.

Wazzy · Feb 10, 2021

Probably should correct OP to say this was all following Carpenters abuse story about Whedon since she actually spoke up first in support of Ray Fisher which is why SMG and Michelle commented.

Anyway I feel awful for Michelle especially being so young. Whatever kind of abuse she faced is not okay and I'm glad she spoke up.

It seems a lot of Buffy/Angel stars are voicing their support. I've seen Emma Caulfield comment with a heart and the other thread has more. Joss Whedon is the fuck worst.

T-800 · Feb 10, 2021

Jerk.

I won't let him ruin my love for the show though. It took more than one person to make the show and I'm not going to let his actions ruin it. I understand others feeling different though.

I hope he faces consequences for this.

Serene · Feb 10, 2021

dude is probably done. the avalanche is gonna bury him.

Volimar · Feb 10, 2021

Amber Benson (Tara) threw her support behind Carpenter as well.

mrmoose · Feb 10, 2021

I don't quite understand Trachtenberg here. Gellar's response seemed like more of a non response, that she wasn't going to stand up for Whedon but also didn't throw him under the bus and wouldn't speak against any allegations. But Trachtenberg treats it like she was speaking out, then adds her own. I think a lot of people's minds will turn to some kind of sexual misconduct but that's not exactly what she said. The bullying described by Carpenter is heinous, though. It seemed to also be well known and now I wonder why nobody else backed her up all the way when it first got out, it would have gone a long way towards validating Fisher's stuff years later.

Obi Wan Jabroni · Feb 10, 2021

When you are sitting there living your dream and making cool shit with cool people you have to wonder what motivates somebody like Whedon to act like such a fucking prick?

A head trip? Or some malformed sense of acting like an auteur, where being a colossal bastard makes you a more legitimate artist?

And he seems to have a problem with both men and women. (Not to say that the nasty shit he's done to the women he worked with wasn't rooted in misogyny.)

I wonder if we'll hear from any of the cast from the first two Avenger flicks...

BrucCLea13k87 · Feb 10, 2021

Fuck Whedon. I hope this helps Ray Fisher avoid getting blacklisted by giving credence to his claims. Also those poor women. Whedon is a sad little man.

Mxlegend99 · Feb 10, 2021

Wasn't the Charisma Carpenter story already known? It was 100% wrong of Joss obviously. But i thought we already knew the reason she was written out of the show. Unless it was just speculation.

I always thought that was kind of the first story to be circulating about what a monster he was. Although for whatever reason people seemed to accept it back then.

Tovarisc · Feb 10, 2021

Serene said:
dude is probably done. the avalanche is gonna bury him.

He should have been done for years ago.

Mxlegend99 said:
Wasn't the Charisma Carpenter story already known? It was 100% wrong of Joss obviously. But i thought we already knew the reason she was written out of the show. Unless it was just speculation.

I always thought that was kind of the first story to be circulating about what a monster he was. Although for whatever reason people seemed to accept it back then.

Had she shared her tale before I don' see why she would state that telling it now can put her whole career into risk.

dead souls · Feb 10, 2021

Tovarisc said:
He should have been done for years ago.

Yep. Another faux feminist bites the dust. Better late than never, I guess.

Uzumaki Goku · Feb 10, 2021

Is it really so hard to be a good person?

Kemal86 · Feb 10, 2021

mrmoose said:
I don't quite understand Trachtenberg here. Gellar's response seemed like more of a non response, that she wasn't going to stand up for Whedon but also didn't throw him under the bus and wouldn't speak against any allegations. But Trachtenberg treats it like she was speaking out, then adds her own. I think a lot of people's minds will turn to some kind of sexual misconduct but that's not exactly what she said. The bullying described by Carpenter is heinous, though. It seemed to also be well known and now I wonder why nobody else backed her up all the way when it first got out.

By Gellar saying she stands with victims of abuse and those who speak out, that's a direct reference to Carpenter's statement. It's an indirect, but clear, message of support.

Trachtenberg is saying that Whedon's behavior towards her, when she was only a teenager, was not appropriate.

Dice · Feb 10, 2021

Uzumaki Goku said:
Is it really so hard to be a good person?

Even harder is for these types of asshats to apologize.

AoM · Feb 10, 2021

Glad they're all speaking out.

Yasuke · Feb 10, 2021

Well.

Fuck that guy, then.

mrmoose · Feb 10, 2021

Kemal86 said:
By Gellar saying she stands with victims of abuse and those who speak out, that's a direct reference to Carpenter's statement. It's an indirect, but clear, message of support.

Trachtenberg is saying that Whedon's behavior towards her, when she was only a teenager, was not appropriate.

I guess I thought Gellar would just back Carpenter up directly and just say that's all she'll say. Instead it kind of sounds (to me) like she's saying she won't call Carpenter a liar but she won't directly support her claims as a first person witness either.

Like when someone says "I denounce that guy if it happened that way, and we deserve to know the truth." Just denounce him if you're going to denounce him. Even if she didn't witness any of that first hand, the rumors were out almost immediately and she had to at least have heard about them.

Wazzy · Feb 10, 2021

Mxlegend99 said:
Wasn't the Charisma Carpenter story already known? It was 100% wrong of Joss obviously. But i thought we already knew the reason she was written out of the show. Unless it was just speculation.

I always thought that was kind of the first story to be circulating about what a monster he was. Although for whatever reason people seemed to accept it back then.

People suspected it was about her pregnancy and she has made comments previously about the situation that indicated she was being mistreated but she just never got the full support she needed and was basically forced to kind of retract and play friendly with Whedon.

This statement details a lot of things suspected but also not known or understood and hopefully the Whedon ass kissers will finally stop defending him. There was a lot of fake information spread by people to defend Whedon like calling her a drug addict or saying she hid her pregnancy.

Digital Dinosaur · Feb 10, 2021

Can't say I'm surprised. To my ears, the grapevine surrounding Whedon always made him out to be a vicious asshole to work with when the mood struck him.

Charisma's account in particular. It tracks an insinuation of Whedon having a persecution complex when the job got hard and imagining his actors and co-workers were sabotaging him.

Uzumaki Goku said:
Is it really so hard to be a good person?

It's an indication of how much culture shapes, empowers, then protects people who behave this way. Especially in Hollywood.

People consistently do stuff in entertainment that would get them fired from a job at Taco Bell in a week.

LewieP · Feb 10, 2021

Didn't we know a about these kinds of stories years ago? Glad that more people are coming out with their stories, but I think it's been known...

I love a lot of his work, but I've not no problem with him not getting any work from Hollywood again.

Edit: yeah I tweeted this based on the stories that came out in 2018

Just because I use Twitter as a more reliable long term memory than my mind...

Kinthey · Feb 10, 2021

There was also this interview with the Spike actor a few months ago

I came along and I wasn't designed to be a romantic character, but then the audience reacted that way to it. And I remember he backed me up against a wall one day and he was just like, 'I don't care how popular you are, kid, you're dead. You hear me? Dead. Dead!' And I was just like, 'Uh, you know, it's your football, man. OK.'

Rosenbaum asked Marsters if Whedon was joking, to which Marsters responded, "No, hell no." The podcast host then asked if Whedon ever apologized - he didn't - then, if Whedon was angry at him. Marsters elaborated, "He was angry at the situation." The Buffy actor went on to explain that Whedon was frustrated that Spike's popularity among the fans was adverse to his vision for the show.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Star James Marsters Shares Joss Whedon's Disturbing Reaction To Spike's Popularity

Whedon yelled at James Marsters about Spike.

screenrant.com

Violence Jack · Feb 10, 2021

I remember about 6 years ago I attended a panel in Hall H for Joss Whedon at Comic Con, and they gave him a lifetime achievement award for his work. I sure as hell hope they revoke that award because between this and Justice League, the man sounds like a grade-A abusive asshole. That story from Marsters alone sounds like he's an ego-tripping madman not too dissimilar to a person like Vince McMahon.

IneptEMP · Feb 10, 2021

Gellar's statement is kind of a cop-out.

I mean, there are people who are victims of abuse, who also are trying to raise a family and survive a pandemic, and yet they are still speaking up.

If she's a victim herself, I understand, but she should have used a better excuse to not say anything.

Edit: I should have been more clear. When I said she didn't "say anything", I was focused on what she said about Whedon, which was not a clear denouncement. It was, as someone else in this thread put it, non-committal. She said nothing about how she felt about Whedon and if it's for legal reasons, that makes sense. But it might have been a better idea to not mention Whedon at all and leave in the part about supporting victims. Being non-committal on Whedon undermines the statement in support for victims a bit.

At any rate, Gellar saying she supports victims is taking a stance and that's good.

Zor · Feb 10, 2021

I don't understand the comments asking "Isn't this already known?"

Clearly nothing happened back when they surfaced, if these are the details that are "already known".

Far, far too long overdue, but these details coming to the fore again can and hopefully will make a difference.

Dalek · Feb 10, 2021

Kinthey said:
There was also this interview with the Spike actor a few months ago

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Star James Marsters Shares Joss Whedon's Disturbing Reaction To Spike's Popularity

Whedon yelled at James Marsters about Spike.

screenrant.com

Wow.

Blader · Feb 10, 2021

mrmoose said:
I guess I thought Gellar would just back Carpenter up directly and just say that's all she'll say. Instead it kind of sounds (to me) like she's saying she won't call Carpenter a liar but she won't directly support her claims as a first person witness either.

Like when someone says "I denounce that guy if it happened that way, and we deserve to know the truth." Just denounce him if you're going to denounce him. Even if she didn't witness any of that first hand, the rumors were out almost immediately and she had to at least have heard about them.

"I don't want to be associated with the name Joss Whedon and stand with his accusers" sounds like a denunciation to me? She didn't say she denounces him if it happened like that but who knows the truth. She validates her story by calling her a survivor of abuse.

And it's also not on anyone to out someone's stories of abuse before they're comfortable sharing it themselves. It's actually just a new burden you're placing on the survivor, because now they're being forced to talk about something they weren't ready or maybe willing to get into.

RockTiddies · Feb 10, 2021

Wait, so the whole demon baby storyline with Cordelia makes sense now...

Garlador · Feb 10, 2021

It really is a shame how I've enjoyed so much of his work, but, yeah, dude is done.

Officer Big Mac · Feb 10, 2021

How awful. I was about to say Hollywood is disgusting but this isn't contained to one industry.

Uzumaki Goku · Feb 10, 2021

So are any of the Avengers stars going to speak out about this?

piratepwnsninja · Feb 10, 2021

IneptEMP said:
Gellar's statement is kind of a cop-out.

I mean, there are people who are victims of abuse, who also are trying to raise a family and survive a pandemic, and yet they are still speaking up.

If she's a victim herself, I understand, but she should have used a better excuse to not say anything.

It isn't, though.

Xyer · Feb 10, 2021

Can't believe Hatsune Miku created Harry Potter, Minecraft and directed The Avengers. Insane.

Mesoian · Feb 10, 2021

I mean, I've been on the fuck Whedon train for a while.

But yeah, fuck him. He's done. Stop including him.

RocketKiss · Feb 10, 2021

He's a piece of shit on top of giving us the insufferable style of Marvel humor.

Mesoian · Feb 10, 2021

Xyer said:
Can't believe Hatsune Miku created Harry Potter, Minecraft and directed The Avengers. Insane.

Naw fuck that shit.

NAme these people and cry to the wind how shitty they are. They need to be made examples of what not to be.

Fuck Whedon
Fuck Rowling
Fuck Persson (Notch)

They are not invited back to the table.

SchrodingerC · Feb 10, 2021

I'm glad others have found the courage to speak out against Whedon and his abusive shit.
Truly hope he's done in Hollywood, but unfortunately that isn't always a guarantee.

excelsiorlef · Feb 10, 2021

IneptEMP said:
Gellar's statement is kind of a cop-out.

I mean, there are people who are victims of abuse, who also are trying to raise a family and survive a pandemic, and yet they are still speaking up.

If she's a victim herself, I understand, but she should have used a better excuse to not say anything.

She doesn't want this to become about her and she basically politely told Whedon to go fuck himself

She didn't say nothing

God you know posts and reactions like these are actually a reason some opt to just say nothing.

eZipsis · Feb 10, 2021

Joss, we done. I'm throwing out Firefly as soon as I get home.

Why do so many creators turn out to be so shit. It must be hard to build the courage to speak out against the abuse and it's inspiring to see them do it.

I can't help but wonder how many people have gotten away with it and how hard it mist be on their victims to be unable to speak out against them.

entrydenied · Feb 10, 2021

It's just bloody disappointing to re-confirm again that Whedon is a bastard.
It must have been difficult for the actresses to have to pretend that everything is fine on camera and even speak praises publicly about how great it was to work together, for 20 years.

Digital Dinosaur said:
Can't say I'm surprised. To my ears, the grapevine surrounding Whedon always made him out to be a vicious asshole to work with when the mood struck him.

Charisma's account in particular. It tracks an insinuation of Whedon having a persecution complex when the job got hard and imagining his actors and co-workers were sabotaging him.

It's an indication of how much culture shapes, empowers, then protects people who behave this way. Especially in Hollywood.

People consistently do stuff in entertainment that would get them fired from a job at Taco Bell in a week.

Hollywood is like one big Taco Bell with no other competition. If you speak up and get fired you can't just hope over to Mcdonald's and continue working in the same role. Actresses and actors would probably be branded as being difficult and talentless and will find it hard to work again.

I hope Joss Whedon never gets work again.

Jakenbakin · Feb 10, 2021

IneptEMP said:
Gellar's statement is kind of a cop-out.

I mean, there are people who are victims of abuse, who also are trying to raise a family and survive a pandemic, and yet they are still speaking up.

If she's a victim herself, I understand, but she should have used a better excuse to not say anything.

This is not a good take. You're basically victim blaming of she's a victim, or dismissing her support of victims. That she's said anything in support of the victims is a massive win for others.

Anaron · Feb 10, 2021

IneptEMP said:
Gellar's statement is kind of a cop-out.

I mean, there are people who are victims of abuse, who also are trying to raise a family and survive a pandemic, and yet they are still speaking up.

If she's a victim herself, I understand, but she should have used a better excuse to not say anything.

uh what?

She acknowledged it, supports the victims of abuse and clearly shades Whedon.

She explicitly says she doesn't want to talk about this forever or be attached to the man's name and I think that's more than valid.

Tace · Feb 10, 2021

Man I feel so bad having ever thought Whedon was any different, and I'm glad the gates are open now. He never needs to work in the industry again.

Buffy’ Star Michelle Trachtenberg Alleges “Not Appropriate Behavior” By Joss Whedon On Series; Gellar speaks out

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