James Van Der Beek Drops Bombshell About Sexual Harassment

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James Van Der Beek Drops Bombshell About Sexual Harassment

Hollywood has been in chaos over the last several days following the damning sexual assault and harassment accusations against celebrated film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Although Weinstein denies having non-consensual sex with his accusers, including A-list actresses, the number of women coming forward with stories of their experiences with the Hollywood mogul have been steadily growing since The New York Times dropped the bombshell last week.

In support of those who have come forward, other celebrities have also opened up about their own experiences with sexual harassment by those in the position of power within the industry. While many of the claims were made by women, there are a few of Hollywood's leading men who had stories to share.

IndieWire

NFL player-turned-actor Terry Crews shocked the world when he revealed that he was once inappropriately touched by a "high level Hollywood executive" while attending an industry event in 2016.

"This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME, " Crews wrote in a twitter thread. "My wife [and] I were at a Hollywood function last year [and] a high level Hollywood executive came over 2 me and groped my privates."

In the wake of Crews's revelation, another male actor has also admitted that he too is a victim of sexual harassment.

Nerdist

James Van Der Beek, best known for his role on the hit show Dawson's Creek, spoke out about being harassed as a young, vulnerable man trying to make it in Hollywood, and then slammed those criticizing the women who stayed silent all these years.

Van Der Beek, 40, took to Twitter to share that he had been the target of "older, powerful men."

"I've had my ass grabbed by older, powerful men, I've had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversations when I was much younger," wrote Van Der Beek, who was only 16 years old when he landed his first role as Paulie in an episode of Clarissa Explains It All in 1993.

The actor didn't name names, but he sympathized with women who have been silenced by fear and judgement that often accompanies speaking out against an abuser.

"I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle," he continued. "There's a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome."

Along with a link to an article on The Cut about a writer's experience in a hotel room with a "powerful man, Van Der Beek added, "For anyone judging the women who stayed silent, read this for perspective. Also for anyone brushing off harassment as "˜boys being boys'...What Weinstein is being accused of is criminal."

"What he's admitted to is unacceptable "” in any industry. I applaud everybody speaking out," Van Der Beek concluded.

Van Der Beek's recount follows the stories that other high-profile stars like Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cara Delevingne have shared about their awful experiences with Weinstein. It also reiterated the fact that men can also be victims of sexual harassment at the hands of other men.

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.