Sarah Michelle Gellar, best known for her role as the title character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has responded to allegations that Joss Whedon, Buffy creator, abused his power on the set of the show, along with its spin-off Angel and DC Film’s Justice League.
“While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” wrote Gellar in an Instagram post. “I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time. But I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.”
Gellar’s Buffy co-star, Charisma Carpenter, shared a lengthy Twitter statement alleging Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions” on set, including asking her if she was “going to keep it” after learning she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was written into the show, but she was fired after giving birth.
Carpenter decided to come forward after Justice League actor Ray Fisher accused Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable” behavior on set of the 2017 film, which Fisher shared on Twitter in July.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister Dawn on the show, reposted Gellar’s statement to her own Instagram feed and commented on Whedon’s allegations. “Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this,” Trachtenberg wrote. “I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman…To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not not appropriate behavior…very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did.”
Other Buffy stars like Amber Benson and Clare Kramer have expressed their support for Carpenter, and the abuse they saw occur on the set of the show.
Whedon has declined to comment on any of the allegations against him.
