Self-help guru Tony Robbins accused of sexually harassing and pursuing female employees, fans
Celebrity self-help guru Tony Robbins strongly denied on Friday all allegations of systematic sexual harassment brought against him by Buzzfeed News and accused the media outlet of carrying out an "agenda."
The outlet, in its report based on secret recordings and leaked emails, had claimed that the self-help superstar "created a highly sexualized environment in which both men and women have been told to touch themselves intimately and simulate orgasms—but he has repeatedly singled women out of the crowd for more personal attention.”
Robbins, a multimillionaire and a best-selling author, specializes in helping victims of sexual and emotional abuse and also works with people who struggle with addiction and mental illness in front of a hoard of viewers. He reportedly charges thousands of dollars for a session and has worked with influential personalities like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and the Kardashian family.
However, according to Buzzfeed, Robbins — who presents a squeaky-clean image of himself outside — is not the man he is behind doors. The outlet has claimed that its investigation revealed that he preys on vulnerable women and that his "former female fans and staffers have accused him of inappropriate sexual advances.”
A year-long investigation by BuzzFeed News, based on leaked recordings, internal documents, and dozens of interviews with fans and insiders, reveals how Robbins has berated abuse victims and subjected his followers to unorthodox and potentially dangerous techniques. And former female fans and staffers have accused him of inappropriate sexual advances,” the article states.
“Two former followers who went on to work for Robbins provided BuzzFeed News with signed statements swearing under oath that they felt he had sexually harassed them by repeatedly pursuing them after they made clear they weren’t interested,” the report continues.
The self-help guru responded to the allegations early morning on Friday in a letter on Medium and said that the media house was manipulating the facts and said they have refused to meet with him personally.
“Unfortunately, your organization has made it clear to my team that you intend to move forward with publishing an inaccurate, agenda-driven version of the past, pierced with falsehoods,” he wrote in the letter. “It is intended to disparage me personally, my family, my life’s work, and the efforts of the millions of individuals around the globe who have taken this journey with me over the last 40-plus years.”
The celebrity also accused BuzzFeed News of failing to objectively report the story, writing: "To put it in the words of your own reporters, you are preparing to publish an article with the malicious intent to ‘take Tony Robbins down.’”
The allegations reportedly occurred before Robbins separated from his first wife and married his second.
Robbins, last year, had come under intense scrutiny for his comments on the #MeToo movement after said that women were using the movement as a "drug" to "try to get significance," adding that "anger is not empowerment."
He later issued an apology for his statement on Twitter and wrote "sometimes, the teacher has to become the student and it is clear that I still have much to learn.”