Bryan Callen Rape Accusations: Disturbing Charges Of Sexual Assault, Inappropriate Behavior By Comedian
Callen is best friends with Chris D'elia, who also faced sexual assault allegations.
Kathy Hutchins / ShutterstockBryan Callen was an actor and comedian who seemed to have a steady and reliable career going for him. In addition to hosting his own podcast, The Fighter and The Kid, he had a starring role on the hit comedy The Goldbergs and even was part of the inaugural cast of MadTV.
Yet shortly after he came forward with his defense of disgraced actor and comedian Chris D'Elia, Callen faced sexual assault accusations of his own. One woman came forward and described in harrowing detail, how Callen allegedly drugged and raped her before he was a successful actor and comedian. And in the same explosive report, three other women came forward to detail disturbing — and frankly, creepy — encounters with Callen that were, at the very least, inappropriate. Callen denies all allegations.
Details on Bryan Callen rape allegations:
Katherine Fiore Tigerman came forward about one month after Callen defended Chris D'Elia on his podcast.
Tigerman had the most to say in the LA Time's explosive report about Bryan Callen. According to Tigerman, Callen allegedly drugged and raped her in 1999, long before he was a successful actor and comedian. Tigerman first went to The Los Angeles Times with her story shortly after he came out in defense of his friend Chris D'Elia on his podcast "The Fighter And The Kid." In the podcast, he called D'Elia a "ladies man," but said he never personally witnessed D'Elia engaging in any non-consenusal sexual relationships.
Rachel Green claimed he kissed her against her will.
In 2009, Rachel Green was working as a store clerk when she met Callan. Green claimed that Callen came into the store — an American Apparel in Pittsburgh, PA — pushed her into his fitting room, and began kissing her against her will.
Claire Ganshert claimed Callen had a "pro-rape" mentality.
Claire Ganshert had a sexual affair with Callen for four years. In that time, she said he repeatedly said that women have a "primal desire" to be raped.
Tiffany King claimed Callen offered her money in exchange for sex.
In 2017, Tiffany King — who was an aspiring comedian at the time — claimed she once went to Callen to ask for a loan because she was facing a custody battle for her child. Callen rebuffed her request but then joked that he would give her the money in exchange for oral sex. However, another witness — Steve Pearson, AKA Stevie Blue Eyes — said that King's claims were false, because she was never alone with Callen; rather, he was in the car with the two of them when the exchange took place, and he said that it didn't happen the way King remembered it. However, two of King's friends corroborrated her story.
In 2016, Whitney Cummings claimed Callen exposed himself to her.
On episode 126 of Callen's podcast, The Fighter & The Kid, comedian Whitney Cummings claimed that Callen pulled his penis out while she was giving him a car ride. She joked in a very dry way that she was considering "giving him sex" because "he wouldn't take no for an answer." On the same episode, Callen admitted that he was a creep. “My definition of ‘creepy’ is that if I’m into you, you’re gonna know it, front and center,” he said. “It’s when guys kind of pull this gentleman thing and he’s being a really nice guy and then you look and he’s got his d**k out. You’re a serial killer. Be honest about your creepy. Which, of course, I’ve always been.”
Callen vehemently denied all the sexual assault and rape accusations against him.
In a statement, Callen denied all the rape and sexul assault accusations against him and blamed "cancel culture" for the accusations coming out. "Let me be very clear: I have never raped, forced myself upon any woman nor offered to trade stage time for sex. EVER. I know the truth. And I can only hold my head up high, remain true to myself, my family, my audience and know that I will not allow the cancel culture to subvert what I know and as importantly, what they know, is the truth," he said.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.