David Boreanaz has joined practically the entire cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Danny Strong, Adam Busch, Amy Acker, James Marsters, Michelle Trachtenberg, Eliza Dushku, Amber Benson and Tom Lenk, in support of Charisma Carpenter, who said that Joss Whedon traumatized her on-set, creating a “hostile” and “toxic” work environment. Eventually, she said, he fired her.
“Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel,” she wrote of the show creator. “The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.”
All of the co-stars have now supported her claims, with Trachtenberg hinting at her own dark story, saying there was a rule that he wasn’t “allowed in a room alone” with her.
FANS GRAPPLE WITH DARK HISTORY
Fans of Whedon’s work, meanwhile, are struggling with this revelation. The Whedon Studies Association may change its name, and others speak out in regret about tattoos they have that were inspired by his creations.
For years, Whedon’s reputation as a feminist storyteller has been tarnished. His ex-wife Kai Cole accused him of cheating and lying about it, Ray Fisher accused him of “gross” and “abusive” treatment of the cast and crew.
Writers who worked on Whedon’s Firefly have also spoken out about him recently, dubbing him “casually cruel” for his treatment of female workers.