George Takei says he bears no 'ill will' after accuser changes sexual assault story
Scott Brunton, who had accused beloved ‘Star Trek’ star George Takei of drugging and sexually assaulting him after a night out in 1981 has gone back on his words. However, Takei, only seems to have “peace” to wish upon the man.
Takei’s was among the most unbelievable accusations to come out during the zenith of the Me Too movement back in November. Brunton had revealed during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that it happened a long time ago, but he had never forgotten it, having even told it to many groups of people whenever the ‘Star Trek’ actor’s name came up.
The former model and actor told THR at the time: "This happened a long time ago, but I have not forgotten it. It is one of those stories you tell with a group of people when people are recounting bizarre instances in their lives, this always comes up. I have been telling it for years, but I am suddenly very nervous telling it."
Brunton, who was in his early 20s and living in Hollywood at the time, claims to have met Takei, who was in his mid-40s, one evening at Greg’s Blue Dot bar. Post the encounter, they allegedly exchanged phone calls and ran into each other at clubs. After Brunton broke up and moved out from the house he shared with his then-boyfriend, he spoke with Takei, who invited him out for dinner and theatre.
"He was very good at consoling me and understanding that I was upset and still in love with my boyfriend," Brunton revealed, adding, "He was a great ear. He was very good about me spilling my heart on my sleeve." The two men went back to the actor's condo for a drink the same night. However, he said that after having a couple of drinks he began feeling “disoriented and dizzy” before passing out.
He said he woke up to Takei undressing him. "He had my pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to get his hands down my underwear," Brunton said. When confronted, Takei allegedly said he was only trying to get Brunton relaxed and comfortable.
However, Bunton stated this was not something he wanted and drove away from the condo, even though Takei insisted he was in no condition to drive. Meanwhile, Takei has consistently insisted he does not remember Brunton.
Since then, Observer has done an extensively researched article, in which two toxicologists have ruled out any chance of spiked drinks. Lewis Nelson, the director of medical toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said, “It sounds like postural hypotension, exacerbated by alcohol.” Postural hypotension is a sudden decrease in blood pressure that can occur when a person stands up quickly—and can make one dizzy enough to pass out even without alcohol.
Brunton himself has taken back some of the statements he has given about the incident, claiming that the inconsistencies in his stories are too glaring for even him to ignore. He, however, insists that he did not fabricate the story, but has decided to not rely on his long term memory, which can be fickle.
Takei, meanwhile, has tweeted that despite all the tension Brunton’s accusation has caused on his life he wished nothing but peace for him.