The 75th Emmy Awards will be hosted by “Black-ish” actor Anthony Anderson, whose selection has generated controversy. In recent weeks, efforts to have the comedian and actor fired from his position as host have returned, along with 2004 sexual assault allegations against him.
Three cases were mentioned by the advocates: two from 2004 and one from 2018. In two instances, the charges were dropped, and in another, the result is uncertain. “Anthony Anderson is the Emmys host… Are these folks simply unGoogled by the producers? wrote screenwriter Alanna Bennett of “XO, Kitty” on X earlier this month.
In an Instagram post on January 6, the Sexual Violence Prevention Association pleaded with Fox, the network that will broadcast this year’s Emmys, to rethink Anderson’s hosting role. The article states, in part, that the entertainment sector has the authority and duty to shield people against sexual assault.
According to the SVPA, it is encouraged that Fox and the Emmys not only oust Anderson as host but also proceed with appropriate caution in the future when choosing presenters. What you should know about Anderson’s allegations is provided here.
Anthony Anderson Controversy
When an extra on the “Hustle & Flow” set claimed that Anderson & assistant director Wayne Witherspoon had sexually abused her, the 53-year-old Anderson was initially charged with sexual assault.
A 25-year-old woman told Tennessee officials that she was “lured” inside a trailer by Anderson and Witherspoon, who then started taking off her clothes and abusing her sexually, according to a criminal complaint that The Smoking Gun published at the time.
The two males allegedly also confined her and took pictures of her genitalia against her consent. The woman fled in her underwear, according to the lawsuit, after a bystander heard her screams and opened the door.
According to The Smoking Gun, Anderson was charged with aggravated rape & released after posting a $20,000 bond. CNN reported at the time that an agent for the actor refuted the accusations.
According to the actor’s representative, Anthony is a contented married father who has never been implicated in or accused of anything similar. When all the facts are known, we are sure he will be found not guilty.
When the matter came before the judge, the woman testified that she had been coerced by the two men into having multiple sexual encounters with them in the days preceding the incident she had reported to the police. But as Entertainment Weekly noted in October 2004, a judge dismissed the case because there was insufficient probable cause.
A woman who filed a complaint against Anderson in September 2004 made a second accusation of sexual assault against him, stating that he had abused her in his dressing room while filming his brief WB comedy “All About the Andersons” in 2003 and had made sexually suggestive comments to her.
According to UPI, the unidentified woman sued the actor in civil court in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking damages totalling $900,000. At the time, Anderson “unequivocally” refuted the accusations once more, as E! News reported. His representative claimed that Anderson was being targeted because of the “ridiculous rape charges pending against him in Memphis.”
It’s unclear how this lawsuit will turn out. Representatives for Anderson declined to address any details of this story, including the outcome of the litigation. According to The Blast, Anderson was the target of a third charge of sexual assault in July 2018. The accusation came from a woman in Los Angeles who said the actor had attacked her during an event she catered.
Regarding the event, the Los Angeles Police Department launched a criminal investigation. The Hollywood Reporter claims that the reason the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office refused to prosecute the case in September 2018 was that the unidentified woman would not allow an interview.
Regrettably, anybody may submit a police report, whether it is true or untrue, according to Anderson’s agents, who spoke to Variety at the time. Regarding this incident, the authorities have not been in touch with Anthony or any of his representatives. Anthony categorically refutes the assertion.” Representatives for Anderson declined to comment on this report. An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by Emmys representatives.
