Joss Whedon and Shitty Men in Hollywood

Joss Whedon prior to a special screening of "Much Ado About Nothing," presented at Oscars® Outdoors by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and KCRW on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. (Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.)

Charisma Carpenter and Amber Benson are the latest people to speak out about their experiences working with Joss Whedon on television.

Carpenter and Benson’s comments follow Ray Fisher speaking out about his experiences working on Justice League.  I want to stress first and foremost that I also stand with both Charisma Carpenter, Amber Benson, and Ray Fisher.  If these three are speaking out about Joss Whedon, there is certainly no doubt that others have had similar experiences.  The question is: why are other people not speaking out?  I think this comes down to the fact that people still have a fear of retaliation.  It’s a shame but true.  I certainly had this own fear when it came to speaking out against transphobic abuse during the summer of 2017.  Unfortunately, HE is STILL getting work.

Whedon’s behavior is certainly not a secret.  It would also come as no surprise if other people speak out.  Time will certainly tell.

Carpenter posted her comments over a two-tweet thread:

Following Carpenter’s tweets, castmate Amber Benson spoke out in agreement about working with Joss Whedon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

What makes everything about this worse is that Warner Bros. Pictures chose to remove Ray Fisher from The Flash.  That’s a shame.  Why should Ray Fisher be the one to suffer consequences from speaking out about his experiences working with shitty men?  Shitty men in Hollywood do not deserve to have their careers protected.  They do not.  It is really that simple:  actions must come with consequences.  There have been no such consequences for the DC Films leadership.  The same leadership that has no problem with racism.

After publishing, I learned that Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Clare Kramer also posted on social media.

Shitty men do not deserve a free pass.  Not now.  Not ever.  There is not a shadow of a doubt that Warner Bros. and DC Films must change their culture.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.