In a report published in the Atlantic, four men have accused director Bryan Singer of sexually assaulting them while they were underage. The alleged assaults took place in California between 1997 and 1999.
Singer is the credited director of Bohemian Rhapsody and is known for directing films like X-Men, X2, and The Usual Suspects.
The Atlantic’s report details the Hollywood circles Singer was reportedly part of during the late ’90s, the boys he met and parties he threw during that time period, the allegations of sexual assault of underage boys, and an alleged pattern of abuse that wrecked the accusers’ lives. It was written by Alex French and Maximillian Potter — a writer at large and editor at large for Esquire, respectively — who say they spent 12 months reporting the story and spoke to more than 50 sources about the allegations.
Singer’s lawyer Andrew Brettler denied the allegations against his client, stating to French and Potter that Singer has never been arrested or convicted of any crime and that he categorically denies ever having sex with, or a preference for, underage men. Singer, through his lawyer, told Vox the story is a “homophobic smear piece [that] has been conveniently timed to take advantage of [Bohemian Rhapsody’s] success” and that it was written by “a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997.”
French and Potter tell the stories of four men who had previously never spoken publicly about their allegations against Singer.
One of those men is Victor Valdovinos, who told French and Potter that when he was 13, he worked as an extra on Singer’s 1998 film Apt Pupil. Valdovinos says that during a day of filming a locker room scene that required partial nudity, Singer molested him multiple times. Per the Atlantic:
According to Valdovinos, Singer reached through the towel flaps and “grabbed my genitals and started masturbating it.” The director also “rubbed his front part on me,” Valdovinos alleges. “He did it all with this smile.” Valdovinos says that Singer told him, “You’re so good-looking … I really want to work with you … I have a nice Ferrari … I’m going to take care of you.”
“I was frozen. Speechless,” Valdovinos continues. “He came back to where I was in the locker room throughout the day to molest me.”
The other three men in the story were given pseudonyms for fear of retaliation. One of those men, identified as “Andy,” says he was 15 when he met Singer through Marc Collins-Rector, a purported friend of Singer’s and a convicted sex offender. Andy told French and Potter that he and Singer had sex the first night they met, and multiple times after:
“I just remember how loud the moaning was. I remember thinking, God, there’s a big group of people downstairs hanging out in the living room, and they can probably hear him. That bothered me, so I stuck my hand over his mouth or in his mouth just to stop it. When we went downstairs, it was really awkward. I just acted like it was no big thing.”
Another man, identified as “Ben,” told the writers he met Singer at one of Singer’s parties. Ben said he was 17 or 18 when Singer coerced him to perform oral sex on him.
“He would stick his hands down your pants without your consent,” Ben told French and Potter. “He was predatory in that he would ply people with alcohol and drugs and then have sex with them.” Ben also said “it wasn’t a hold-you-down-and-rape-you situation.”
The fourth man, identified as “Eric,” alleges that he and Singer had sex when Eric was 17, and that he witnessed a system in which young boys were brought to Singer and his friends to curry favor.
“If you weren’t young and cute enough to be their boy, you could still ingratiate yourself by bringing boys to them,” Eric said.
Bryan Singer has previously been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men
These are not the first allegations of sexual misconduct that have surfaced against Singer.
In 2014, two men filed lawsuits against Singer accusing him of sexually assaulting them while they were underage. Those lawsuits were later dismissed.
Then in 2017, Singer denied accusations by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman, a 31-year-old man from Washington, who filed a lawsuit saying that Singer raped him when he was 17, on a yacht sailing from Lake Union to Lake Washington in Seattle.
And in October 2018, Singer posted a message on Instagram warning of a “negative article” from Esquire about him and implied that it was a publicity-seeking opportunity timed to the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, which came out on November 2.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Singer was fired from the project in December 2017, a few weeks before filming ended, after he clashed with star Rami Malek and disappeared from the set. Singer said his absence was due to wanting to care for a sick parent. Because of Directors Guild of America rules, only one director or team can be credited for directing a film, and Singer remains the sole credited director for Bohemian Rhapsody.
It appears that Singer’s October Instagram post may have been referencing Potter and French, who are both named on Esquire’s masthead. Though Potter and French originally reported the story for Esquire, it was later brought to the Atlantic, where, according to a spokesperson for the magazine, it went through the publication’s legal vetting and fact-checking process.
Singer, in a statement made through his lawyer, disparaged the piece, calling into question the credibility of the writers, accusers, and editors:
The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997. After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism. That didn’t stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic. It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention. And it is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been conveniently timed to take advantage of its success.
The writers of the piece responded, and said that the piece was fact-checked at Esquire but then Hearst executives killed the article. The move then let them publish at The Atlantic:
Statement from reporters Maximillian Potter and Alex French on investigation of Bryan Singer published in @TheAtlantic: pic.twitter.com/iouvNZGQtz
— The Atlantic Communications (@TheAtlanticPR) January 23, 2019
Singer has not been involved in promoting Bohemian Rhapsody on the awards circuit. The movie was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture on January 22, and its star Malek was nominated for Best Actor. It previously won Best Drama at the Golden Globes.
Also on January 22, Malek distanced himself from Singer, telling People that he “was not aware of” any allegations against Singer before working on Bohemian Rhapsody.
Singer is still slated to direct an upcoming Red Sonja remake.
You can read French and Potter’s full report on Singer at the Atlantic.