After five women initially accused Jeremy Piven of sexual misconduct in November, three more women have come forward with allegations against the actor as reported by BuzzFeed News.
In the story, published Saturday afternoon, one background actor said Piven forcefully pinned her down on a couch after following to her trailer; another background actor said Piven became physically aggressive with her during an intimate encounter, and a third woman said the actor pushed her against a wall and tried to force her to engage in sexual intercourse. The incidents allegedly occurred in 1985, 1996 and 1994, respectively.
BuzzFeed News said it had spoken to eight additional sources who claimed that the women had told them their Piven stories at the time of the alleged incidents or after.
Piven has denied the three new accusers’ claims, according to BuzzFeed. He additionally denied the November claims of sexual misconduct and harassment, calling them “fabricated” and saying, “I would never force myself on a woman. Period.”
Following the initial reports in November, CBS, the network behind Piven’s Wisdom of the Crowd, released a statement saying, ” “We are aware of the media reports and are looking into the matter.” The show has since been canceled.
Piven on Saturday night released the following statement:
“These allegations, which in one case goes back more than 30 years and the two others more than 20 years ago, are false. As evidenced by the lie detector test I took and passed, I have never forced myself on anyone, nor have I ever exposed myself or restrained anyone against their will.”
He continued, “To the contrary, if any woman ever said no, I stopped. Some of the assertions, as related to me by Buzzfeed, are not even physically possible. As one example, there is a claim that I grabbed the woman, started to kiss her, picked her up and wrapped her legs around my waist. It is hard to understand how someone could hold a woman and at the same time wrap both of her legs around his waist without the consent of the woman.”
Updates:
Jan 28, 6:45 a.m.: Statement added from Piven.