Vincent Cirrincione, Halle Berry’s Ex-Manager, Accused Of Sexual Misconduct By 9 Women

Vincent Cirrincione, a top Hollywood manager, and producer, who helped shape the careers of actresses like Halle Berry and Taraji P. Henson, was accused of sexually harassing nine women, according to an investigative report published by the Washington Post on Friday.

Cirrincione,70, was accused by nine minority women of inappropriate behavior within the time span of 1993 to 2011, however, none of the women have made criminal allegations against him, but alleged that he pressurized them for sexual favors in return for advancements in their career.

The allegations against the manager are varied. Three of the women among the nine, according to the Post, claimed he asked for sex in exchange for representation. Another said he offered to “help advance her career” if she agreed to have sex with him every month. A fifth woman said, “he masturbated in front of her in his office during the years he managed her.”

In a statement to the Post, the manager said he supports women coming forward in this post-Harvey Weinstein era, but he denied asking for sexual favors or having relationships that were “anything but consensual.”

Cirrincione responded to the allegations in a lengthy statement to the Post.

“We live in a time where men are being confronted with a very real opportunity to take responsibility for their actions. I support this movement wholeheartedly. I have had female clients and employees my entire career in this industry. I have built a reputation for advancing the careers of women of color," he said.

"I have had affairs while in committed relationships, ones I am now ashamed to say are coming to light and shading my past and my reputation. I can say without a doubt that I have never used favors, sexual or otherwise, as a reason for managing anyone. I want to make it clear that not one of those relationships were anything but consensual," the statement added.

"I apologize to these women, my past and present partner, my clients and employees for the pain this is bringing them," Cirrincione explained.

Cirrincione’s reputation in the industry speaks of working mainly with black actresses, guiding them and helping them in an industry dominated by white actors.

Eight among the total number of women accusing him of misconduct are African-American; one is Asian-American. One of them claimed that the manager used his successes with Berry and Henson as a tool to proposition aspiring actresses and ask them for sexual favors.

One of the accusers, Tamika Lamison, spoke on the record to the Post about her alleged incident, claiming that Cirrincione sexually propositioned her in 1996. She was a 27-year-old aspiring actress then and said she met the manager at a Tony Awards dinner, following which he reportedly invited her to his hotel suite for an audition.

Later during their meeting, she claimed that he took a phone call from Berry and put it on speaker so Lamison could listen. Following which Lamison alleged that she began performing a poem for the manager when he suddenly grabbed her and kissed her. Then he allegedly said he would only take her on as a client, but that would happen if he “would get to see her for sex whenever he wanted,” according to the Post’s report.

In a statement to the Post, Halle Berry specified that she ended her working relationship with Cirrincione more than three years ago, after reportedly hearing a woman on a radio program say that he was her "worst casting-couch experience ever."

“That news literally stopped me in my tracks,” she wrote. “I immediately confronted Vince about it, and he denied it completely. But even with his denial, something didn’t feel right in my spirit, and with the possibility that it could be true, I immediately ended our over-25-year relationship.”

She added that she is “saddened” to hear about the allegations against her former manager, adding that he had never been inappropriate with her.