Last July, Ray Fisher accused Justice League director Joss Whedon of "abusive and unprofessional behavior" while working on the films set back in 2017.
Now, more accusations have surfaced, with actor Charisma Carpenter saying Whedon's unprofessional antics dated all the way back to his work on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer back in the 1990s. "Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions," Carpenter wrote in a lengthy statement. "Joss has a history of being casually cruel."
She went on in graphic detail to describe Whedon's abusive behavior towards Carpenter while she was pregnant on the set of Angel, at one point threatening to fire her merely because she was pregnant, and because of a rosary tattoo she got.
In her statement, Carpenter elaborated that she chose to come forward because of Ray Fisher's bravery. "Although I am not shocked, I am deeply pained by it," she wrote. "It troubles and saddens me that in 2021 professionals STILL have to choose between whistleblowing in the workplace and job security."
After releasing a statement, her allegations were echoed by fellow Buffy actor Amber Benson, as well as its star Sarah Michelle Gellar, the latter merely offering her support in a brief Instagram post.
"While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don't want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon," she wrote. Benson, on the other hand, was much more direct in acknowledging that the show was a "toxic environment." "There was a lot of damage done d during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later."
Additionally, Buffy actress Trachtenberg also stepped forward later Wednesday afternoon to merely echo the accusations made by her fellow co-workers. She reposted Gellar's statement to Instagram with prayer hand emoji's attached. "Thank you for saying this," she wrote. "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."
As the accusations against him continue to pile up in 2021, the question remains: Why is Whedon still allowed to work? He has remained silent throughout every accusation, and despite WarnerMedia having allegedly investigated his abuse of power on the Justice League set, the director remains quietly working away. We need to believe these allegations and start taking them seriously.