Over the past several years, the #MeToo movement has been going strong, allowing for people to come forward with their tales of sexual harassment and assault. This has resulted in folks Hollywood figures such as Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein getting convicted of crimes. Though many of the people who have been accused never are brought to court, the movement has allowed for many people to tell their stories. And this weekend, another #MeToo story made the news, with actor Ansel Elgort being forced to respond to an allegation of sexual assault.
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The story began with a young woman posting a long note on Twitter, explaining how she met Elgort in 2014, when she was only 17 years old. She was a fan of the actor and reached out to him on social media. Surprisingly, it appears that Elgort replied and ended up meeting her in person. From there, the woman explained how she was involved sexually with the actor, but the experience left her traumatized.
She has since deleted her Twitter account, but copies of her post are still available to read (via Deadline). But suffice to say, it’s a distressing account of events.
“Years later I have PTSD, I have panic attacks I go to therapy,” she wrote.
She added, “I WAS SO YOUNG AND HE KNEW THAT. He as well said stuff like, ‘you’re going to be such a beautiful young lady when you’re older.‘”
Once this allegation went viral, Elgort found himself in a position where he had to reply. And in an Instagram post, he denied the allegations of sexual assault and claimed that he and the young woman had “a brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship.”
“I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours,’ Elgort said. “I cannot claim to understand Gabby’s feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened.”
He claimed that the issues could have come up because he didn’t end things with her well, ghosting the woman instead of telling her it was over.
“Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well,” he said. “I stopped responding to her, which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone. I know this belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared.”
“As I look back at my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry,” he added. “I know I must continue to reflect, learn, and work to grow in empathy.”
Elgort is currently working on the HBO Max series “Tokyo Vice” for director Michael Mann. Later this year, he’s scheduled to star in the upcoming Steven Spielberg musical, “West Side Story.” And he’s likely going to be the star of the eventual “Baby Driver” sequel that Edgar Wright is developing.