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Morgan Freeman sexually harassed 8 women: Report

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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In a recent CNN exposé, eight women have accused Morgan Freeman of sexual harassment.

The women, who claim Freeman made improper comments about their bodies, claim he harassed them on the set of his movies, at his production company Revelations Entertainment, and at press junkets.

Chloe Melas, one of the article’s co-authors, said the Oscar winner made inappropriate remarks to her on tape during an interview with his co-stars. A number of men and women backed up the allegations.

In 2015, a production assistant in her 20s reported spending many months working on the set of Going in Style where Freeman, now 80, allegedly made inappropriate comments and touched her inappropriately. She told CNN that he made comments about her physique, touched or rubbed her lower back, and at one point repeatedly tried to raise her skirt while “asking whether I was wearing underwear.”

Freeman’s co-star Alan Arkin “made a comment telling him to stop” in that event after Freeman continued attempting to raise her skirt, she said. “Morgan got freaked out and didn’t know what to say.”

On the set of Freeman’s 2012 film Now You See Me, a member of the production team and her assistant promised not to dress in shirts or dresses that would reveal more of their bodies than normal in order to avoid his comments. “He did comment on our bodies… We knew that if he was coming by … not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were] fitted,” one of the ladies added.

Freeman shook her hand, looked her up and down, and repeated the phrase “I wish I was there,” according to CNN’s Melas, who was six months pregnant at the time. According to the complaint, Freeman allegedly told her, “You are ripe.” According to CNN, Freeman was heard stating “Boy, do I wish I was there” on video during the junket. Melas informed CNN’s Human Resources division of Freeman’s actions, and they contacted Warner Bros. When approached, Warner Bros. HR declined to confirm the account.

Freeman even commented on Lori McCreary in front of 400 people at a producers’ conference. McCreary is a co-founder of Freeman’s production company, Revelations Entertainment. The Producers Guild of America is headed by McCreary. “She wants to be thought of as serious,” the Freeman told the crowd, “but you can’t get away from the short dresses. ” In an interview with Today, he dismissed the remark as unimportant, saying, “It was just something I said in jest when I first met her; it was more than 20 years ago. How is this news?”

Freeman said in a statement. “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected – that was never my intent.”

In other instances, CNN said that when its reporters contacted sources, the actors and crew would guess Freeman’s name without being told who they were looking into. Others said they had never seen any unsuitable conduct.

Freeman evidently has a reputation for improper conduct while having an outwardly positive image in Hollywood. The report claims that when the journalists contacted Freeman’s coworkers to inquire about any bad encounters they had with actors in general, their sources “quickly told them they knew precisely who the reporter had in mind: Morgan Freeman.”

A household name because of movies like Driving Miss Daisy and Shawshank Redemption, the actor is one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.

He garnered Oscar nods for four other movies in addition to his part in Million Dollar Baby, which earned him the best supporting actor Oscar in 2005.

The #MeToo and Times Up movements have brought attention to working conditions and gender inequality in Hollywood, and Freeman is the most recent celebrity to be accused of sexual harassment since October 2017.

Following allegations of improper behavior and, in some instances, rape against producer Harvey Weinstein by actors Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Asia Argento, and Angelina Jolie, the movements gained traction. As a result, the producer, who quit his job at Miramax, was accused of sexual harassment by as many as 70 women. Additional accusations were leveled against guys in Hollywood including Louis CK, James Franco, and Kevin Spacey.