Morgan Freeman Sexual Harassment Allegations: What We Know So Far

Eight women have stepped forward and accused Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman of sexual misconduct across movie sets, press junkets and in the offices of his production company, Revelations Entertainment. Freeman is the latest Hollywood man to be accused of leveraging his power to act inappropriately towards women.

The accusations surfaced as part of an extensive CNN investigation published Thursday morning. Of the 16 people interviewed by CNN, half said they had directly experienced sexual harassment by Freeman and the other half said they had witnessed the actor’s inappropriate behavior.

CNN’s investigation lists, in explicit detail, several instances of alleged sexual harassment by Freeman that occurred in multiple professional settings. Female production assistants on multiple Freeman films accused the actor of unwanted touching and lewd comments about their bodies. One PA accused him of trying to lift up her skirt on the set of 2017’s “Going in Style.”

Chloe Melas, a CNN entertainment reporter who contributed to the investigation, accused him of looking her up and down and calling her “ripe.” The incident reportedly occurred during a press junket for “Going in Style.”

Women who worked alongside Freeman at Revelations accused him of similar behavior. One employee recalled Freeman asking her how she felt about sexual harassment. When she sarcastically said she loved it, Freeman reportedly turned to his male colleagues and said, “See, guys, this is how you do it.”

Freeman’s accusers told CNN about how they eventually started dressing more conservatively when they knew he would be around, as a way to limit his allegedly perverse comments. They also accused him of uncomfortably staring at their bodies. One Revelations employee likened him to a “creepy uncle.”

The investigation consistently pointed to Freeman’s significant Hollywood clout as a reason why women did not feel comfortable reporting his harassment. As a household name, Freeman was seen as irreplaceable in a way production assistants were not.

Freeman has been the subject of negative accusations before, but not on this scale. Rumors have circulated about a possible relationship between him and his step-granddaughter, who was murdered in 2015. He also made a controversial statement about Revelations co-founder Lori McCreary’s taste in clothing in 2016.

Freeman issued a statement in response to the allegations on Thursday afternoon, apologizing to anyone who “felt uncomfortable or disrespected.”