Actor and musician Jared Leto has refuted allegations of criminal sexual misconduct made against him in a new BBC documentary. Four women have accused Leto of sexual assault, alleging they were teenagers when the incidents took place.
The documentary, ‘Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Darkest Secret’, released on Wednesday, features allegations from 10 women, all of whom levelled serious against the actor and musician.
Responding to the allegations, Leto said in a statement, “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false,” as quoted by Variety.
What did the women allege?
According to Variety, the BBC documentary includes allegations from 10 women, with nine speaking publicly for the first time.
One of the women alleged that Jared Leto assaulted her in a motel bathroom when she was 17 years old. Another accused the actor of threatening her with when she was 19.
A third woman claimed she had a sexual relationship with Leto in California when she was 17, below the state’s age of consent, and alleged that he “shrugged off” concerns after she raised that the legal age was 18.
A fourth woman alleged that Leto repeatedly made sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16 and, on at least one occasion, suggested that they should have sex, according to the outlet.
The BBC reported that it had reviewed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that the fourth woman alleged she was asked to sign to prevent her from speaking publicly about her relationship with Leto. According to the report, she declined to sign the agreement.
All 10 women featured in ‘: Hollywood’s Dark Secret’ alleged that their encounters with Jared Leto occurred between 2002 and 2016, when the actor and musician—now 54 years old—was in his 30s and 40s.
“This was 25 years ago, he has gotten away with it,” one of the alleged victims said in the documentary.
Meanwhile, the BBC said it had corroborated “a number of the women’s accounts with friends and family who were told about the encounters with Leto at the time.” According to Variety, the broadcaster also reviewed photographs and messages in certain cases that “support the women’s accounts.”
The documentary adds to a series of allegations that have previously been made against Leto.
Last year, DJ Allie Teilz accused the singer-actor of sexual misconduct in a social media post, alleging that he had assaulted her when she was 17 years old. Following her claims, many other women also came forward as part of an Air Mail investigation.
Leto denied the allegations made in the report.
