‘Do I think he would do that to someone?’
From the editors of Entertainment Weekly Words by Nick Romano
Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr said she’s spoken to her former co-star and ex-boyfriend Ed Westwick since allegations of sexual assault came to light. ‘I have to be so careful, because it’s not my situation and I don’t — I wasn’t there,’ Szohr told Cosmopolitan when asked about the situation during an interview. ’So it’s hard to speak on behalf of those girls or him.’
Actress Kristina Cohen and former actress Aurélie Wynn accused Westwick of rape in posts published to their social media accounts, while creative producer Rachel Eck alleged to BuzzFeed that Westwick ‘aggressively groped’ her breasts at a Hollywood hotel. Westwick has denied these claims.
‘He’s going through a difficult time,’ Szohr commented on her meeting with the actor. ‘He’s being accused of something that he’s publicly saying he didn’t do. So it’s, you know, tough on him. His show got canceled. You know, he’s like, “The truth will come out and hopefully people see that and hopefully that’s it.” It’s just such an unfortunate thing all around.’
She explained that, while she was ‘shocked’ to hear the accusations and doesn’t believe ‘the Ed I know’ to be capable of something like sexual assault, she reiterated, ‘I wasn’t there for those situations and I don’t know.’
‘If you’re asking me, “Do I think he would do that to someone?” No, I don’t. But was I there? No,’ she said.
Sarah Silverman had a similarly difficult time processing her feelings toward fellow comedian Louis C.K., one of the many Hollywood men accused of sexual misconduct.
‘One of my best friends of over 25 years, Louis C.K., masturbated in front of women, he wielded his power with women in fucked-up ways,’ she said during an episode of her Hulu show I Love You, America. ‘Sometimes to the point where they left comedy entirely. I could couch this with heartwarming stories of our friendship and what a great dad he is, but that’s totally irrelevant, isn’t it? Yes, it is. It’s a real mindfuck. Because I love Louie. But Louie did these things. Both of these statements are true. So I just keep asking myself, can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them?’
As Westwick is currently being investigated by Los Angeles police, his involvement with the White Gold series has been halted for the time being and the BBC has pulled his Ordeal By Innocence off its scheduling.
‘It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct,’ Westwick wrote in a previously released statement. ‘I have absolutely not, and I am cooperating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible.’