Jeremy Piven Faces, Denies More Misconduct Allegations
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeremy Piven, who has strongly denied allegations of sexual misconduct from at least three women, is facing further accusations that date back decades, an online news site reported Saturday.
Three additional women claim Piven acted in a physically aggressive or threatening manner, BuzzFeed News reported in a story that included the actor's rejection of the allegations as "false."
The women said they were speaking out because of frustration over Piven's previous denials.
One incident allegedly involved a high school student working as an extra in 1985 on Piven's first film, "Lucas," when he was 17. The other encounters took place in the 1990s, BuzzFeed said.
Two of the women are identified in the BuzzFeed story. The third, described as an executive with an international organization, asked that her name be withheld, the website said.
A publicist who had been representing Piven referred requests for comment to his manager at Silver Lining Entertainment in Beverly Hills. A call to the company's listed phone number by The Associated Press wasn't answered Saturday night.
A lawyer representing Piven didn't immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
One woman told BuzzFeed that Piven followed her into a set trailer, held her down and attempted to grope her. She fended him off and fled, she said.
Another said she met Piven in 1996 when he was appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres sitcom "Ellen" and she was an extra. She described a consensual romantic encounter at Piven's home that changed when he allegedly exposed himself and tried to force himself on her, BuzzFeed reported.
The third woman alleged that Piven pushed her against a hotel room wall in Montreal in the early 1990s and attempted to force himself on her, BuzzFeed reported.
The Associated Press withheld the names of the two women identified in the story because it does not typically name people who say they were targeted by sexual misconduct unless it has their consent.
In a statement to BuzzFeed, Piven said the claims "are false. ... I have never forced myself on anyone, nor have I ever exposed myself or restrained anyone against their will. To the contrary, if any woman ever said no, I stopped."
Last fall, The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has denied any non-consensual sex. The report unleashed a range of accusations against other prominent men in entertainment, media and politics.
A number of the men facing allegations have lost their jobs or work. Piven's freshman CBS crime drama, "Wisdom of the Crowd" was left up in the air after 13 episodes aired and the network said in November it wouldn't expand its order, but didn't say outright that the show was canceled.
