One day removed from Morgan Spurlock’s essay addressing acts of sexual harassment and misconduct in his past, the documentarian has stepped down from his production company Warrior Poets.
Spurlock’s departure from the company, which the Super Size Me filmmaker co-founded in 2004, was confirmed in a statement acknowledging Spurlock’s departure.
“On behalf of Warrior Poets, we as partners have always supported our company and its endeavors. As of today, Morgan Spurlock will be stepping down effective immediately,” said Warrior Poets co-founders Jeremy Chilnick and Matthew Galkin. “We will continue to lead the company as equal partners, producing, distributing & creating from our independent production company.”
In a statement titled “I Am Part of the Problem,” Spurlock wrote about a rape allegation he faced in college in a situation where he concedes his partner did not want to have sex.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this thought, but I can’t blindly act as though I didn’t somehow play a part in this, and if I’m going truly represent myself as someone who has built a career on finding the truth, then it’s time for me to be truthful as well.
I am part of the problem.
Over my life, there have been many instances that parallel what we see everyday in the news. When I was in college, a girl who I hooked up with on a one night stand accused me of rape. Not outright. There were no charges or investigations, but she wrote about the instance in a short story writing class and called me by name. A female friend who was in the class told be about it afterwards.
Spurlock also shared that he sexually harassed an employee by referring to her as “hot pants” and “sex pants.” According to Spurlock, he would later pay a settlement to this employee to keep the matter quiet.
It’s unclear at this stage what will become of Spurlock’s recently sold doc Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!. YouTube Red purchased the film at Sundance for $3.5 million.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)