'Gossip Girl' actor Ed Westwick denies rape accusation as second accuser comes out
A second woman accuses Ed Westwick of rape, just after the actor denied sexually harassing actress Kristina Cohen.
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, Hollywood was flooded with "me too" social media posts and allegations of sexual harassment from men and women, showing that no one is safe in this industry.
From "House of Cards" actor Kevin Spacey to comedian Bill Cosby, there is now a long list of men wanted in Hollywood for sexual abuse, as more women find the strength and courage to tell their traumatic stories.
On Monday, "Gossip Girl" actor Ed Westwick became the latest suspect in the industry's slowly unraveling web of secrets.
Actress Kristina Cohen was the first to allege in a long post on Facebook that the actor raped her in his home. At that time, she was dating a producer, who was the one who brought her to Westwick's house. According to her, the actor made an indecent proposal that made her want to leave the house with the excuse that she was tired. However, the producer did not want to make the actor feel "awkward" so he suggested to stay for another 20 minutes.
Westwick then offered his guestroom so that Cohen could rest. She agreed just to get out of the situation, but she soon fell asleep. When she woke up, the 30-year-old actor was already groping her.
"I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn't speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me," she continued in the post.
Westwick flatly denied the allegations. In an Instagram post, he said he does not know Cohen and he has never forced himself on any woman.
Cohen's revelation, however, has inspired another woman to share her own story about Westwick. In another Facebook post from Aurélie Wynn, she explained how the actor also raped her in his house, following a party. She added that she told her then boyfriend, "Glee" star Mark Salling, about the incident, but he did not believe her and instead broke up with her.
Westwick is now under investigation after Cohen filed a report at the Los Angeles Police Department.
