James Van Der Beek is following in the footsteps of Terry Crews by revealing his own experience with sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The former “Dawson’s Creek” actor took to Twitter where he “applauded” Weinstein’s accusers and condemned the former studio head for his “unacceptable” actions. He followed-up his statement by sharing that he became the victim of sexual harassment himself as a young actor.
“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,” Van Der Beek wrote. “I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome.”
The actor did not include any names, although his tweet did imply that the harassment occurred on multiple occasions at the hands of more than one man. Crews revealed a similar encounter on Twitter in which he claimed he was groped by a Hollywood executive at a function in Los Angeles in 2016.
Van Der Beek currently stars in the Viceland series “What Would Diplo Do?” You can read his three-part Twitter thread below.
What Weinstein is being accused of is criminal. What he’s admitted to is unacceptable – in any industry. I applaud everybody speaking out.
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) October 12, 2017
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…
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) October 12, 2017
I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) October 12, 2017
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