Comedian Whitney Cummings has responded to allegations of sexual misconduct against Chris D’Elia days after the comedian denied pursuing underage women. D’Elia, who worked with Cummings on the NBC show Whitney, called the accusations against the comedian from several different women “a pattern of abuse” in a post on Twitter.
— Whitney Cummings (@WhitneyCummings) June 20, 2020
“It’s taken me a couple of days to process the information I have learned about Chris. I’m devastated and enraged by what I’ve read and learned,” Cummings said in the tweet. “This is a pattern of predatory behavior. This abuse of power is enabled by silence. Now that I’m aware, I won’t be silent. Girls should be able to be a fan of a comedian they admire without becoming a sexual target. It’s the adult’s responsibility to be an adult.”
D’Elia has claimed he did not pursue underage women and apologized last week as stories from at least five women describing his behavior spread on social media and in the press.
“I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point,” D’Elia said earlier in the week. “That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That’s MY fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better.”
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
