Sarah Michelle Gellar, who starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has distanced herself from Joss Whedon following co-star Charisma Carpenter's public statement against Whedon alleging abusive and unprofessional behavior.
"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," Gellar said 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 comments came after Charisma Carpenter released a social media statement calling out Whedon's alleged behavior on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. "My truth. #IStandWithRayFisher" Carpenter tweeted with her statement. The #IStandWithRayFisher hashtag is a show of solidarity with Ray Fisher, who first went public with abuse allegations against Whedon on the Justice League set in July 2020.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Amber Benson voiced support for Charisma Carpenter's recent social media post about Joss Whedon's abuse on set. "Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top," Benson wrote on Twitter. "@AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later. #IStandWithRayFisher #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter."
Michelle Trachtenberg, another Buffy alum, reshared Gellar's Instagram post and added a praying emoji while stating, "Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. 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 appropriate behavior......"
"Last summer, when Ray Fisher publicly accused Joss of abusive and unprofessional behavior toward the cast and crew during reshoots on the Justice League set in 2017, it gutted me," Carpenter said. "Joss has a history of being casually cruel. He has created hostile and toxic work environments since his early career. I know because I experienced it first-hand. Repeatedly."
Carpenter stated Whedon used "ongoing, passive-aggressive threats" to fire her, called her "fat" to colleagues while she was four months pregnant and only weighing 126 pounds, "was mean and biting, disparaging about others openly, and often played favorites, pitting people against one another to compete and vie for his attention and approval."
Some incidents Carpenter called out where a meeting with Whedon, where he allegedly berated her for getting a rosary tattoo, "intentionally refused multiple calls" from her agents to notify him of her pregnancy, and allegedly asked if she was "going to keep it" once they did speak. "He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth," she said.
As part of Carpenter's statement, she revealed that she was a part of the Warner Bros./Ray Fisher investigation into Whedon's conduct on the set of Justice League. "Recently, I participated in WarnerMedia's Justice League investigation because I believe Ray to be a person of integrity who is telling the truth," Carpenter said. "His firing as Cyborg in The Flash was the last straw for me. Although I am not shocked, I am deeply pained by it. It troubles and saddens me that in 2021 professionals STILL have to choose between whistleblowing in the workplace and job security.
Ray Fisher thanked Charisma Carpenter for participating in the Justice League investigation, calling her "one of the bravest people I know."
Source: Instagram