Recently, eight women made claims that Morgan Freeman had spoken to them inappropriately, he was also said to have ‘touched’ some without them wanting him to.
In one of the most severe cases, Morgan Freeman was accused of lifting up their skirts.
The actor however issued an apology after the report emerged and said he never intended to make any of the women feel uncomfortable. But afterwards, as he was dumped by sponsors including Visa and as his legendary acting career began to dwindle by the scandal, he spoke out again.
All these came after Entertainment Tonight dug up old interview clips in its archives which show Morgan Freeman speaking to young female reporters in a suggestive way.
In one clip, Freeman asks ET correspondent Ashley Crossan if she is married as they sat down for an interview in 2016. ‘You fool around with older guys?’ Freeman asks when Crossan replies that she is unmarried. Crossan laughs but does not otherwise acknowledge the remark.
Here is what Morgan Freeman had to say after his apology :
‘I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports. ‘All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor.
I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women—and men—feel appreciated and at ease around me. As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologized Thursday and will continue to apologize to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally.
But I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false.’