X-Men director Bryan Singer is facing disturbing new sexual abuse claims.
In a report published on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, The Atlantic revealed that reporters Alex French and Maximillian Potter had talked to 50 sources over the course of a 12-month investigation. Of those sources were multiple men who claimed Singer had sexually abused them when they were underage in the late 1990s.
One of the accusers, Victor Valdovinos, claimed he was just 13 years old when Singer “grabbed” his genitals and “started masturbating it,” according to the report. Another unidentified male, who was referred to as “Eric” in the article, alleged that he had sex with Singer when the director was 31 and he was 17. The man also accused Singer of encouraging young boys to invite their friends into his social group, stating, “If you weren’t young and cute enough to be their boy, you could still ingratiate yourself by bringing boys to them.”
A third underage accuser, “Ben,” said he met Singer when he was 16 years old. The two allegedly “made out” and engaged in oral sex when he was either 17 or 18 years of age, according to The Atlantic. “He would stick his hands down your pants without consent,” the alleged victim told the publication. “He was predatory in that he would ply people with alcohol and drugs and then have sex with them.”
A man whom The Atlantic called “Andy” also recalled a sexual encounter with Singer when he was underage. He claimed to have had sex with Singer when he was 15 years old and alleged that actor Brad Renfro, who starred in Singer’s 1998 film Apt Pupil, had also had some kind of relationship with the director.
Singer — whose attorney, Andrew B. Brettler, denied the accusations detailed in The Atlantic — has faced sexual abuse allegations before. In 2014, both Singer and producer Gary Goddard were accused of sexually assaulting an anonymous UK citizen when he was a teenager, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Not long afterwards, actor-model Michael Egan accused Singer of raping him in 1999 when he was 17 years old and of assaulting him when he was as young as 15 (via Vox). The lawsuit was later withdrawn, as The Wrap reported.
In December 2017, Singer was accused via a lawsuit of allegedly raping a 17-year-old boy back in 2003, as reported by People.
In terms of professional strife, Singer was fired in December 2017 from directing Bohemian Rhapsody (via Variety) due to alleged “tardiness and absences” during filming, according to The Hollywood Reporter. it was also rumored that the director butted heads with the film’s lead, actor Rami Malek.
Bohemian Rhapsody went on to win best picture at the 2019 Golden Globes, and, as was announced on Jan. 22, it’s up for best picture at the Oscars.
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