Whitney Cummings ‘devastated, enraged’ by co-star Chris D'Elia’s alleged sexual harassment of underage girls
American stand-up comedian, actress, and podcaster Whitney Cummings addressed the allegations of sexual misconduct against her former co-star Chris D’Elia on Saturday, June 20. Cummings said she was “devastated and enraged” by what she’s learned.
Last week many women opened up about their experiences with the ‘You’ actor, some were as young as 16 at the time of the alleged encounters. They accused him of sending inappropriate messages to them and attempting to solicit nude photos from them.
It began with a Twitter user accusing D’Elia of “grooming” her. She wrote, “I still can’t believe Netflix cast Chris D’Elia as the pedophile in Season 2 of 'You' like the literal irony,” along with screenshots of alleged conversations with D'Elia which allude to the actor asking for pictures among other things. The user continued, “Imagine being 16 and being groomed by a stand-up comedian twice your age and the only reason you never met up and never got physically molested was because you had just gotten a boyfriend your own age.”
“It’s taken me a couple days to process the information I have learned about Chris. I’m devastated and enraged by what I’ve read and learned. This is a pattern of predatory behavior. This abuse of power is enabled by silence. Now that I’m aware, I won’t be silent,” Cummings wrote on Twitter about D’Elia. “Girls should be able to be a fan of a comedian they admire without being a sexual target. It’s the adult’s responsibility to be an adult.”
On Thursday, June 18, D’Elia denied the accusations in a statement. He said, “I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point.”
He further said, “All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me. That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who absolutely let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That’s my fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better.”
Cummings and D’Elia starred together on the NBC series 'Whitney', which Cummings created and based on her life. The show ran for two seasons on NBC before being canceled in 2013. D’Elia played Alex Miller, the boyfriend of Cummings’ character.