The late Jerry Lewis has been accused of sexual harrasment and assault by his former co-stars.
The Late Jerry Lewis Has Been Accused Of Sexual Assault By His Former Co-Stars
Two actresses Karen Sharpe and Hope Holiday went on to recall what they had suffered in Jerry’s presence prior to his passing in 2017.
Karen, for her part, detailed a time where Jerry had told those within Karen’s space to leave, as she was getting ready for a costume fitting. During the course of that process, she was left alone with the comedian which is when things had gotten out of hand.
In an official statement, she said: “He began to fondle me. He unzipped his pants…I put my hand up and said, ‘Wait a minute. I don’t know if this is a requirement for your leading ladies, but this is something I don’t do.’ I could see that he was furious.”
When it became clear that Karen was not going to have anything of it, she stated how Jerry had even refused to rehearse with her. This also included claims that the crew had apparently been told to not engage in conversation with her.
Much in the same way, Hope had a similar traumatic experience. During her time with Jerry, she spoke on how he would speak inappropriately with her. This included comments about her body and clothing, before things started to go down a sexual route.
In her statement, she remarked :”Then he starts to talk to me about sex…He starts to talk dirty to me and as he’s talking, the pants open, and the ugly thing came out and he starts to j–k off. I was frightened. … I just sat there and I wanted to leave so badly.”
The fans on social media were not surprised by the accusations coming to light. A certain subset of people felt that such problems were endemic in the entertainment industry. One person wrote: “Lewis was a piece of shit …not sure if any of this qualifies as ‘shocking’ given what we know about the guy.”
Ultimately, with Jerry no longer here to defend himself, it is not possible to know exactly what went down. Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
