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Here are all the allegation of abusive behavior and professional wrongful conduct raised againstJoss Whedonso far . There are few names better known in eccentric person finish nowadays than Whedon ’s . The multi - hyphenate got his start as a faculty writer on the sitcomsRoseanneandParenthood , commence in 1989 , before carving out a corner for himself as a successful hand medico and moving picture screenwriter in the 1990s . He only go on to branch out from there and well into the 2000s , creating multiple cult - favorite boob tube show , writing for Marvel mirthful book , and even lead film .
Over that same period of sentence , Whedon was capable to cement his report as aself - professed male feministand writer of quippy dialog , particularly with his efforts on theBuffy the Vampire SlayerTV serial . His career got a major boost into the public eye when he was take as the director of the firstAvengersmovie and its sequel , Age of Ultron , but in the six years since then , Whedon ’s life history and personal repute have started to take on damage , especially thanks to title of his on - set behavior after he interchange Zack Snyder as the director ofJustice Leagueduring the movie ’s extensive reshoots .
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Since so many of the claim relate to his treatment of women and minorities , there ’s been a re - rating of his previous body of work and treatment of tender topic like intimate assault , pregnancy , and sterility , as well as the growing consensus that Whedon making feminism part of his brand name shielded him from such criticisms in the yesteryear . Then , in May 2017,his oldWonder Womanmovie script leaked onlineand was criticise for being sexist in the room it portray Diana Prince and focalize more on Steve Trevor ’s deeds than her own . The world ’s prospect towards Whedon have only continued to worsen in igniter of the more recent accusation and allegations raise against him .
Whedon’s Ex-Wife Kai Cole Alleges Marital Infidelity
In response , a illustration for Whedon claimed Cole ’s essay"includes inaccuracies and misrepresentations,“but that Whedon would n’t be issuing a formal comment"out of concern for his children and out of respect for his ex - married woman . “This all postulate place just two months before the Harvey Weinstein intimate abuse malicious gossip break in October 2017 , resulting in the # MeToo cause win mainstream recognition and further discussion of howWhedon ’s say infidelitiesreflect on him professionally . Most of this conversation has centered on Cole ’s call that Whedon had affairs with multiple women on his TV series and how that constitutes inappropriate behavior due to the power and influence he could maintain over their life history . In his most late interview , Whedon admitted he"did the bad things"alleged by Cole , but propose some of it was mischaracterized and his other critics were but exploiting her accusations in bad faith to defame him .
Justice League’s Ray Fisher Accuses Whedon of ‘Unprofessional’ Behavior
Three months after Cole ’s essay was bring out , Whedon found himself back in the glare thanks toJustice League . The film maker had overseen reshoots on the DCEU crossing over after original director Zack Snyder left the project in March 2017 , cite a late personal catastrophe . At the time , it was unknown just how across-the-board Whedon ’s reshoots had really been , and the theatrical undercut ofJustice Leagueopened to disappointing corner office return and uncomplimentary reviews , with critics citingSnyder and Whedon ’s incompatible directorial stylesas its biggest fault . As more and more information come out about just how substantial the reshoots truly were , fans set about petitioning for the discharge of Snyder ’s initial rough cut of the movie . Their phone call were heed in May 2020 , when HBO Max announced it would streamZack Snyder ’s Justice Leaguein 2021 .
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About a month later , Ray Fisher ( who played Cyborg inJustice League ) tweet out a recantation of a premature function in which he praised Whedon for his work onJustice League . Shortly after , he carry another tweet alleging Whedon had operate in " gross , abusive , unprofessional , and completely unacceptable"behavior during theJustice Leaguereshoots . Fisher has since explained the lack of specific details regarding his accusal , saying"I am still very much under contract bridge and I am still very much under Non - Disclosure Agreement . So I ’ve grow to be very careful about what I say and how I say it , otherwise I can get sued into oblivion . “Despite this , others have lent credibility to Fisher ’s call , with Kevin Smith articulate a especial core employee who worked onJustice Leaguetold him Whedon did"a mediocre amount of trashing [ Snyder ’s ] version of the movie"on - solidifying , and to many of the gang members who ’d previously do work with Snyder on the film no less .
Whedon only recently spoke up about Fisher ’s title , deny them and disgorge his owncriticisms at Fisher ’s motivations and acting endowment . Justice Leagueproducer Jon Berg , whom Fisher named as an enabler of Whedon ’s behavior ( along with then - DC Entertainment CCO Geoff Johns ) , initially issued a financial statement saying it’s"categorically untrue that we enable any unprofessional behavior,“but Fisher has since said Berg pass out to say he was lamentable the actor had an"appalling experience . "
Buffy’s Stunt Team Claims Whedon Was Abusive On-Set
Among the first to talk out about their former experience with Whedon since Fisher raised his allegations are Sophia Crawford and Jeff Pruitt , a now - marital match who met and started dating while serving as , severally , Sarah Michelle Gellar ’s stunt forked and a stunt coordinator forBuffy the Vampire Slayerfrom seasons 1 - 4 . In an interview withMetroUKpublished July 2020 , Pruitt say his working relationship with Whedon was"great"at the start ofBuffy , but increasingly deteriorated as the show became more and more of a succeeder and the latter began to exert more creative dominance . By the fourth dimension season 4 rolled around , Pruitt had become"fed up"and tell the series ' producers he was design to leave to go workplace on other projects , adding"The producer told me that Joss reacted as if I was make an affair or something behind his back . "
Pruitt was then asked to deliver forBuffyseason 5 and tally to , but only before Whedon receive with Crawford about her own continued involvement with the show . According to Crawford,“I was call into the office and I was afford an ultimatum . And they said to me , “ Come back to the show , but you need to leave behind Jeff , or do n’t add up back . ” And so I fundamentally start crying . And I said “ F you . That ’s frightful , bye . ”Pruitt similarly departed the show after he keep to butt heads with Whedon both publicly and on - set , alleging toMetro"Joss secern both Sophia and I that ' no one will ever hire you again after this . ' He never says to anyone that he ’ll see to it you never work in this Ithiel Town again . He is very careful . He only insinuates that no one will ever hire you again if you do n’t please him . “Whedon has yet to point out on either Crawford or Pruitt ’s accusation against him .
James Marsters Reveals Whedon’s Disturbing Response to Spike’s Popularity
Introduced as asupporting villain inBuffyseason 2 , the blanching agent light-haired , punk - rock , snarky British lamia Spike would go on to become one of the show ’s more popular characters and briefly returned in season 3 before becoming a recurring player from season 4 on . He was so beloved the architects of theBuffy - verse even resurrected him after his death during theBuffyseries finale and made him a main role on the show ’s spinoff , Angel , for its 5th and final season . However , that was a far yell from Whedon ’s original programme for the character to serve well as a brusk - terminus villain and nothing more .
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In a late episode of theInside of You with Michael Rosenbaumpodcast , Spike player James Marsters revealedWhedon ’s unsettling reaction to his character ’s surprise popularity , saying"I remember he backed me up against a wall one twenty-four hour period and he was just like , ‘ I do n’t wish how popular you are , tike , you ’re numb . You get word me ? Dead . Dead!'“Marsters assured Rosenbaum Whedon was n’t joking around , either , and"was furious at the place . “The histrion present Whedon ’s response as being understandable at the fourth dimension , but it pack on a different meaning in light of the other allegation against him . It ’s also chair to a conversation about the type of behavior that were abide and accepted in the movie and television industry in the past , but are now justifiedly deemed as being unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour for the workplace .
A haughty cheerleader - wrick penis of the Scooby Gang ( the moniker for the characters who assisted Buffy in her slayer duties),Cordelia Chasewas a resort case on the early seasons ofBuffy . She would go on to become a master musician on its spinoff , Angel , which picked up after Cordelia had graduated from Sunnydale High ( along with Buffy and her pals ) and move to Los Angeles . When Cordelia actor Charisma Carpenter became pregnant in real life , the character reference became possessed by a supernatural being in season 4 , who then rig event to be born into her own new torso . Cordelia afterward fell into a coma after render birth and was in the end killed duringAngel ’s 100th episode in time of year 5 .
Inprevious interview , Carpenter said she had no thought whether she would be come up back after season 4 until she"got a phone call from somebody in the mechanical press , which really sucked . “She blend in on to add she felt Whedon"was , candidly , mad"at her for becoming pregnant , which go toWhedon writing Carpenter ’s characterout of the series . At the same time , Carpenter has frame Whedon ’s behavior in a sympathetic light , explaining"I think he was unbalanced at me and I say that in a loving way , which is - it ’s a very complicated active exercise for somebody so many twelvemonth , and expectations , and also being on a show for eight years , you get ta live your life story . And sometimes live your life catch in the room of maybe the creator ’s visual sense for the future . And that becomes a struggle , and that was my experience . "
However , in February 2021 , Carpenter provided details on Whedon ’s contumely . In an image tweet accompany by " My truth . # IStandWithRayFisher " , she outline her experience working onBuffy , howWhedon created a " hostile and toxic working environment"and more information on the var. put on her during her gestation . She went on to state she had participated in the WarnerMedia investigation coming out of Ray Fisher ’s allegations .
ManyBuffystars patronage Carpenter , including the show ’s lead , Sarah Michelle Gellar .
Joss Whedon Responded To Abuse Allegations In 2022 Interview
After years of muteness , Whedon finally responded to some of the many complaints against him , and his responses puff general criticism from most of the internet for failing to demonstrate an actual reason of why there was outrage over the alleged offenses or compunction for their potential impact on other people . In some of his solution , he in a flash admitted to incriminating behavior ( without seeming to understand that it was actually incriminating ) , while in others he made claims about place that are wildly inconsistent with since - revealed record book , theJoss Whedon and Ray Fisher investigation details , and testimonial from other masses involved .
In the cases of Charisma Carpenter and Ray Fisher , Whedon suggest the two actors were driven by a " malevolent power , " on the face of it referring to a theory that they were being rig by Zack Snyder to get retaliation on Whedon for taking overJustice League . Both Fisher and Carpenter took offense to the suggestion that neither of them has any way and are instead being driven by another man ’s hypothesise personal agendum , fabricating multiple complaint and spearheading an internal WarnerMedia investigation to do so .
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When it comes to his on - set affairs , Whedon said he was " powerless " to resist his urges to pursue the younger womanhood working for him on Buffy , and that he was interested he’d“always regret it”if he did n’t have sexual practice with them . He says he“lived in terror”of the personal business being hear , but did n’t apologize or seem to have any concern for the woman he had relationships with — or theabuse on theBuffyset .
To maintain himself against other claim from the set ofJustice Leagueleveled at him by Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot , Whedon said Fisher was a bad histrion and Gal Gadot ’s complaint that he threatened her life history was a product of her not being as proficient at English as him , to which Gadot responded:“I understood perfectly . “These particular answers are especially groundless considering Fisher ’s performance inZack Snyder ’s Justice Leaguewas one of the most universally praise elements , and Gadot has proven herself a more than subject English speaker unit in interview over the year , hint Whedon was simply hoping people would believe him because of her accent , which does n’t help relieve Fisher ’s allegation of racism against him .
Overall , the interview only made Whedon see even bad than before . He was alreadyremoved from his HBO Max show , The Neversat the closing of WarnerMedia ’s investigating into Fisher’sJustice Leaguecomplaints , and it does n’t look as if he has any other credited work scheduled in the near time to come . If he hoped the interview would be the champion of his rejoinder taradiddle , he was sorely mistaken , and it may be some clock time before we see much more from Joss Whedon .
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