A slew of sexual assault accusations have been crawling out of the woodwork in Hollywood since the Harvey Weinstein allegations surfaced. #MeToo has become a way to raise awareness about sexual harassment and assault, giving women a chance to come forward with their stories. Actress Kristina Cohen is the latest to use #MeToo to share hers: She claims Ed Westwick, who played Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl, raped her three years ago.
In a Facebook post Monday night, Cohen told the story of her alleged assault in detail. She says she was dating a producer at the time, and he brought her with him to Westwick’s home. She claims Westwick suggested, “We should all fuck,” which immediately made Cohen uncomfortable. She wanted to leave, so she told everyone she was tired. Instead, she says the producer made her stay to avoid making Westwick feel awkward and Westwick suggested she nap in the guest room if she wanted to sleep.
After going in the guest room, Cohen claims things took an extremely disturbing turn. “So I went and laid down in the guest room where I eventually fell asleep, I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body,” Cohen wrote. “I told him to stop, but he was strong. I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to fuck me. I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me.”
Cohen says after she told the producer what happened, he blamed her for the assault, saying Westwick would “destroy her” and ruin her chances of an acting career if she told anyone. WTF?!
As horrifying as this is to read, Cohen offered support to other victims. She ended her post, “I hope my coming forward will help others to know that they are not alone, that they are not to blame, and it is not their fault. Just as the other women and men coming forward have helped me to realize the same. I hope that my stories and the stories of others help to reset and realign the toxic environments and power imbalances that have created these monsters.” Yes. This is so important.
Westwick has yet to address the allegations.
I hope Cohen’s story helps other women and men with their struggles to come forward. I can only imagine how horrifying this memory was for her to relive and share. Cohen is strong and admirable for sharing her story and reminding everyone that sexual assault is not okay and something needs to change.
UPDATE: Ed Westwick has responded to allegations of rape made against him. Tuesday morning, he posted a note to Instagram that reads, “I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.”