Eliza Dushku Slams CBS Over Treatment Of Her Sexual Harassment Case On Set Of ‘Bull’
The actress was paid a $9.5 million payout and written out of the show.
American actress Eliza Dushku, known for her work on cult TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and 00’s teen comedy film Bring It On, has opened up for the first time on allegations she’s made surrounding sexual harassment on the set of CBS drama Bull.
Information has slowly been coming out regarding Dushku’s treatment with it recently revealed that CBS paid the star a confidential settlement of 9.5 million US dollars to quiet her allegations of sexual impropriety against co-star Michael Weatherly. Duskhu, who appeared on the criminal procedural for an initial 3 episode run but with an eye on a longer permanent role, was also written out of the show at the same time.
The allegations against Weatherly include a variety of unseemly behaviour including asking Dushku if she would like to have a threesome and referring to an on-set van as a “rape van”. He has since publicly responded to the allegations, saying his actions were all attempts at humour that were misconstrued.
Dushku with Sarah Michelle Gellar on ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’
In a personal essay for the Boston Globe, Dushku has broken her silence on the saga, saying that she initially “wanted to honour the terms of my settlement with the network” but is now ready to talk to clear up what she refers to as “deflection, denial, and spin” from both Weatherly and CBS.
In the article Dushku rejects Weatherly’s statement stating “In explaining his bad behaviour, Weatherly, who plays Dr. Bull, claimed I didn’t get his attempt at humour. That’s how a perpetrator rationalizes when he is caught.”
“I do not want to hear that I have a “humour deficit” or can’t take a joke. I did not overreact. I took a job and, because I did not want to be harassed, I was fired.”
Thank you for giving me my voice back @GlobeOpinion @BostonGlobe https://t.co/Ig6NfncnRr
— Eliza Dushku (@elizadushku) December 19, 2018
She then goes on to detail the extensive and unsettling specifics of her alleged harassment, at one point recalling how Weatherly screamed “I will take you over my knee and spank you like a little girl.” after Dushku flubbed a single line.
Dushku also calls out Bull showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron for his role in the harassment writing “The truth is that Caron wrote me off the show within 48 hours of my complaints about Weatherly”. She alleges he also responded to complaints about her sudden firing with “What does she expect, she was in Maxim.”
You can read her powerful op-ed on the situation in full here. CBS and Weatherly are both yet to respond to the latest development.