Actor Terry Crews has explained why he did not fight back against the man he says sexually assaulted him years ago, in emotional testimony before a US Senate committee.
The actor and former NFL player spoke out at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on proposed legislation known as the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights.
Mr Crews – an outspoken feminist and supporter of the #metoo movement – testified in favour of the bill, citing his own experience.
The 49-year-old has publicly accused a high level Hollywood agent of groping him at a party in 2016. He has denied the allegations.
"The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand, was that he held the power,” Mr Crews told the committee in his opening statement. “That he was in control.”
He added: "This is how toxic masculinity permeates culture."
Senator Dianne Feinstein later asked Mr Crews why he had not fought off his alleged assailant, noting that the actor was a “big, powerful man”. Mr Crews replied that his initial response was to become violent, but that he held back.
“Senator, as a black man in America, you only have a few shots at success,” he told Ms Feinstein. “You only have a few chances to make yourself a viable member of the community.”
He added: “I’m from Flint, Michigan. I have seen many, many young black men who were provoked into violence, and they were in prison, or they were killed. And they’re not here.”
Mr Crews said he left the party with his wife, who had coached him on how not to become violent when provoked. But when he tried to report the alleged assault to Mr Venit’s agency the next day, he said, nothing happened.
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“I was told, 'We're gonna do everything in our power. We are gonna handle this, Terry. You're right, it is unacceptable',” he said. “And then they disappeared.”
According to Variety, Crews filed a lawsuit against agent Adam Venit and employer William Morris Endeavours, who he accused of grabbing his genitals at the event.
The agent was suspended for 30 days in October last year, Deadline reported.
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor spoke out regarding the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights, which focuses on collecting and preserving rape kits.
The bill was signed into law at a federal level in 2016, but was meant to serve as a model for states to follow.
WASHINGTON — Terry Crews testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that “toxic masculinity permeates culture,” recounting his own story of sexual assault by a Hollywood agent.
He also said that he wouldn’t do an “Expendables 4” after what he described as the producer’s attempt to retaliate.
In his opening statement to the committee, Crews did not name the agent, but he has filed a lawsuit against WME partner Adam Venit, claiming he groped him at a 2016 party. He has also recounted the incident in interviews and on “Dr. Phil.”
Crews told the committee, “The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control.”
He added, “This is how toxic masculinity permeates culture. As I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay. But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world. That I know how hard it is to come forward, I know the shame associated with the assault. It happened to me.”
The hearing was held on the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which he said “gives survivors the right to have time to distance themselves from the immediate trauma before making the difficult decision to report the assault to law enforcement.” Also testifying was Amanda Nguyen, the CEO and founder of civil rights organization Rise.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute Crews’ case as a felony, and the Los Angeles City Attorney said a misdemeanor complaint fell outside the statute of limitations.
When Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, asked Crews whether he had faced any retaliation for coming forward, Crews said the producer of “Expendables” “called my manager and asked him to drop my case in order for me to be in the fourth installment of the movie, and if I didn’t there would be trouble.”
“Oh my,” Grassley responded.
Crews has previously identified the producer as Avi Lerner.
He said he would not appear in “Expendables 4,” noting that Lerner is also being accused in a separate claim. In 2017, Lerner and Millennium Films were sued by a former executive for sexual harassment.
Crews said he asked himself, “Am I going to be part of this? Am I going to take a stand?”
Crews also told the committee that growing up, he “watched as my father violently abused my mother, using his power and authority to dominate her. All I could think was how I wanted to protect her. How, if I get strong, I can protect her from this living nightmare.”
He said as he grew up, “this thought transformed the type of man I became. I swore I would never be like my father and yet I believed, to my core, that as a man, I was more valuable in this world. As a protector and symbol of strength, I was more worthy. That women were beneath me.” He said he “used images of women’s body and pornography at my disposal, validating my need for control. I often cut women short of sharing personal details of their lives so they would seem less human, less real. As a man, I was taught my entire life that I must control the world. So, I used power, influence, and control to dominate every situation: from the football field to the film set, even in my own home with my wife and children.” That changed with the 2016 incident, he said. “I’m not a small or insecure man, but in that moment, and in this time following, I’ve never felt more emasculated,” he said. “As I watched women and colleagues in my industry come forward to share their #MeToo stories, this shame washed over me again and I knew I needed to act.”
Terry Crews spoke out about his alleged sexual assault at the hands of a Hollywood agent in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
In emotional testimony, the actor revealed that he felt a need to control everything after spending his childhood watching as his father abused his mother, saying that despite his best efforts he adopted a similar belief that women were below men.
'Then, in 2016 while at a party with my wife, I was sexually assaulted by a successful Hollywood agent,' stated Crews.
'The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control.'
Crews then explained that since sharing that story he has been vilified by some, and told by one producer on Expendables 4 to drop his lawsuit against William Morris Endeavor agent Adam Venit,
Crews responded by dropping out of the film.
Standing strong: Terry Crews spoke about the night he was allegedly assaulted by WME agent Adam Venit in testimony on Capitol Hill (Crews above on Tuesday)
Crews had previously posted a tweet in February about the film.
'Management got a call last week from Avi Lerner producer of EXPENDABLES 4 saying I could avoid any “problems” on the sequel if I dropped my case against WME,' wrote Crews.
'Guess who’s Sly’s agent? ADAM VENIT.'
The actor opened his remarks by speaking about his childhood.
'As a child I watched as my father violently abused my mother, using his power and authority to dominate her. All I could think was how I wanted to protect her. How, if I get strong, I can protect her from this living nightmare,' stated Crews.
'As I grew up, this thought transformed the type of man I became. I swore I would never be like my father and yet I believed, to my core, that as a man, I was more valuable in this world.'
He continued: 'As a protector and symbol of strength, I was more worthy. That women were beneath me.'
Then the assault occurred, and everything changed for Crews - but not those around him as he told the committee.
'As I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay,' said Crews.
'But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world. That I know how hard it is to come forward, I know the shame associated with the assault. It happened to me.'
Guiding light: Crews said his view of women was that they were inferior to men prior to his assault
He then recounted the aftermath of his assault while supporting the passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights.
'I’m not a small or insecure man, but in that moment, and in this time following, I’ve never felt more emasculated,' stated Crews.
'As I watched women and colleagues in my industry come forward to share their #MeToo stories, this shame washed over me again and I knew I needed to act. I am honored to use my platform and story to help create additional civil rights protections for survivors across the nation.'
Crews also introduced himself as 'an actor, author, former athlete, advocate, and a survivor of a sexual assault.'
He closed out his prepared statement by acknowledging the group he was with and its founder, who was recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
'This is why I sit here today with Amanda Nguyen and the Rise team. Every man, woman and child deserves to be seen as equal under the law,' said Crews.
'The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights does just that by recognizing survivors’ basic civil rights. While we can call attention to a culture of toxic masculinity and the need to disrupt power dynamics, this bill creates long-term change and gives power and control back to survivors.'
He then added: 'All survivors must be protected and this bill must be enacted in all fifty states. Thank you.'
Off the hook: Venit (above with his wife in October) will not be charged with felony assault for admittedly grabbing Terry Crews' penis in February 2016 after prosecutors declined to press charges
Speaking out: 'The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power,' testified Crews (above at the BET Awards over the weekend)
Prosecutors declined to file felony charges against Venit because he 'did not make contact with the victim's skin when he grabbed the victim's genitals and there is no restraint involved' according to a charge evaluation worksheet obtained by DailyMail.com.
Crews, 49, also reported the assault just outside the one-year statute of limitations, filing paperwork in which he detailed the February 2016 incident with the LAPD back in November.
Venit and WME, who formerly represented Crews, are still facing a lawsuit filed by the actor in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The agent seemed to have no worries about any of that on Wednesday as he celebrated his 55th birthday with his wife and children in Malibu, opting to head out for the occasion rather than have the party at his 15,000-square-foot, $8 million Beverly Hills home.
TERRY CREWS SPEAKS ABOUT HIS SEXUAL ASSAULT TO SENATE Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Distinguished Members of the Committee: Thank you for inviting me to testify on the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights today. My name is Terry Crews. I am an actor, author, former athlete, advocate, and a survivor of a sexual assault. This past year, we have seen powerful men in Hollywood and elsewhere finally held accountable for sexual harassment and assault. We also saw the backlash survivors faced after coming forward. I wanted these survivors to know that I believed them, I supported them, and that this happened to me too. This encouraged me to come forward with my own experience, and reflect on the cult of “toxic masculinity” that exists in our society. As a child I watched as my father violently abused my mother, using his power and authority to dominate her. All I could think was how I wanted to protect her. How, if I get strong, I can protect her from this living nightmare. As I grew up, this thought transformed the type of man I became. I swore I would never be like my father and yet I believed, to my core, that as a man, I was more valuable in this world. As a protector and symbol of strength, I was more worthy. That women were beneath me. I used images of women’s body and pornography at my disposal, validating my need for control. I often cut women short of sharing personal details of their lives so they would seem less human, less real. As a man, I was taught my entire life that I must control the world. So, I used power, influence and control to dominate every situation: from the football field to the film set, even in my own home with my wife and children. Then, in 2016 while at a party with my wife, I was sexually assaulted by a successful Hollywood agent. The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control. This is how toxic masculinity permeates culture. As I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay. But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world. That I know how hard it is to come forward, I know the shame associated with the assault. It happened to me. I’m not a small or insecure man, but in that moment, and in this time following, I’ve never felt more emasculated. As I watched women and colleagues in my industry come forward to share their #MeToo stories, this shame washed over me again and I knew I needed to act. I am honored to use my platform and story to help create additional civil rights protections for survivors across the nation under the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. Which is why the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights is a critical bill that must be enacted in all fifty states. This bill gives survivors the right to a fully government subsidized rape kit to alleviate the financial burden of seeking justice. It gives survivors the right to receive information, including access to police reports, rape kit results, and access to sexual assault counselors. And by requiring that rape kits and forensic DNA evidence be retained for the duration of the statute of limitations, this bill gives survivors the right to have time to distance themselves from the immediate trauma before making the difficult decision to report the assault to law enforcement. This is why I sit here today with Amanda Nguyen and the Rise team. Every man, woman and child deserves to be seen as equal under the law. The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights does just that by recognizing survivors’ basic civil rights. While we can call attention to a culture of toxic masculinity and the need to disrupt power dynamics, this bill creates long-term change and gives power and control back to survivors. All survivors must be protected and this bill must be enacted in all fifty states. Thank you.
On February 26, lawyers for WME filed a stipulation and order calling for an independent medical examination of Crews in that case.
Lawyers for both Crews and the defendants managed to agree on a doctor, and earlier this week the actor headed in for his examination.
Crews posted a photo of himself on Monday standing shirtless in an examination room, writing: 'Walking in to WME’s seven hour mental health exam like...'
That visit came one day after Crews attended the Academy Awards, with the actor having just become a member of AMPAS last year.
There he got to spend time with Tarana Burke, the creator of the #MeToo movement, and Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.
He seemed most excited to be with his wife, who he had posted a photo of last week in which she could be seen reaching for his rear.
'BEHOLD, THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO TOUCH MY JUNK,' wrote Crews.
The actor has not given any extensive interviews about his lawsuit in recent weeks, but hinted at the ongoing legal battle on social media.
Crews also filed a stipulated protective order in the case last month, stating that any documents or evidence submitted in the case that are deemed private or confidential by one of the three legal teams involved will be kept under seal.
He filed his initial complaint back in December.
'Venit, upon his first meeting Crews, viciously grabbed Crews' penis and testicles so hard that it caused Crews immediate pain in a blatant and unprovoked sexual assault,' state court papers filed by Crews.
WME and Venit both filed their responses to that complaint in January.
Venit argues that Crews is not entitled to any relief because the actor 'had not suffered any injury or danger' and 'none of the acts alleged were based on sex and/or the conduct was not sexual.'
He also does not address the question of whether or not he grabbed Crews' genitals, choosing rather to open his filing with a general denial of 'each and every allegation contained in [Crews'] complaint.'
In WME's court filing, lawyers for the agency claim that Crews initially accepted Venit's apology and stayed with the firm, until 18 months later when he suddenly decided to go public with his allegation.
'Mr Crews Complaint begins with a gratuitous "opening statement" that falsely and wrongly accuses WME of both turning a blind eye to the February 2016 incident at the heart of the case and of somehow ratifying the alleged conduct of Defendant Adam Venit once WME learned of it,' reads the complaint.
'None of that happened.'
The agency goes on to list examples of its proactive behavior, stating that Venit was immediately suspended without pay after Crews went public and upon returning to WME got a huge demotion.
Crews claimed however that the entire incident was largely swept under the rug, and that he was the one fighting to get Venit off him.
'Crews smacked Venit's hand away and shoved him back more forcefully than before, screaming "Hey! What are you doing?!" two or three times, but Venit ignored everything Crews was saying and continued to try to grab Crews' genitals,' reads the initial complaint.
'Crews kept Venit at arm's length and turned to Sandler to get his attention, yelling, "Adam, come get your boy! He's grabbing my nuts!"'
Crews did admit the Venit called the next day and said 'he was just not himself that night.'
Crews detailed how he was allegedly assaulted by Venit back in November on GMA, one month after first accusing the agent on Twitter and one more before filing his lawsuit.
'Back in February 2016, I was assaulted by Adam Venit, head of the motion picture department at William Morris Endeavor. One of the biggest agencies in the world, period,' said Crews.
The Brooklyn 911 star went on to explain that he did not even know the agent, whose clients include Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone and Eddie Murphy.
'I'm looking at him and he's basically staring at me and he's sticking his tongue out and, you know, it's overtly sexual kind of tongue moves and I'm saying, "It's a party. It's packed." The whole thing,' explained Crews.
'He comes over to me. I stick my hand out and he takes his hand and puts it and squeezes my genitals. And I jump back like, "hey, hey "and he's like licking his tongue out and all this stuff.'
Crews said that the assault did not end at that point however, and continued to go on in front of the other guests.
'I go, "Dude, what are you doing? What are you doing?" And then he comes back again and he just won't stop and then I really got forceful, pushed him back,' said Crews.
'He bumps into all the other partygoers and he starts giggling and laughing and let me tell you - I have never felt more emasculated, more objectified. I was horrified.'
Crews went on to say: 'I went over to Adam [Sandler] right then and there [and said], "Come get your boy. What is - what is his problem?"
He didn't understand. It was bizarre to both of us,' said Crews, who at that point was having trouble controlling his anger.
'I looked at him - it was rage. And when I say rage, I felt like I could punch a hole in his head. But this is the deal - my wife told me, three years earlier, she said, "Terry, you can never handle any situation like this with violence. You are a target. You can be baited and pulled."'
He then told host Michael Strahan that as a black man, he believed that the blame would be entirely placed on him if he lashed out at Venit.
'If you react, physically - and let me tell you something, I've done it before, but this is the deal, when I grabbed her hand and I left that party, we were only there for like a half hour, I almost ripped the steering wheel off and she just kept saying, "I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you."'
Crews then expressed how grateful he was that Rebecca, his wife of 27 years, was by his side that night.
'She calmed me down because she was the one who told me that this kind of thing would happen and that you could be baited,' he said.
'If I would have just retaliated in defense I would be in jail right now. That's one thing I knew being a large African-American man in America, I would immediately be seen as a thug but I'm not a thug.'
Strahan then asked about the police report, to which Crews responded: 'You know, people need to be held accountable, Mike. This is the deal about Hollywood. And it's an abuse of power.
He continued: 'This guy, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, and he looked at me at the end as if, you know, who is going to believe you?'.
Photo: CSPAN
On Tuesday, Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about his own story of sexual assault and to advocate for the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. “I guess that’s why we have this full room today,” the committee’s ranking member Dianne Feinstein quipped, introducing Crews as part of a hearing on legislation to codify sexual assault survivors’ rights.
The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights would codify certain rights for people reporting assault, like having their rape kits preserved and forensic testing subsidized, in all 50 states.
“This past year we have seen powerful men in Hollywood and elsewhere finally held accountable for sexual assault,” Crews said in his opening statement. “We also saw the backlash survivors faced coming forward. I wanted these survivors to know that I believed them, I supported them, and that this happened to me too.”
In reporting his assault, Crews said, “I heard time and time again about the rights that my predator had, but I was never told about the rights I had as a survivor. That was the wake-up call. I knew I had to be part of what was happening here today in regard to the Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights.” He added, “If you know what you can do, you can actually do something about it.”
Crews said he was at a party in 2016 when the head of the motion picture department at his then-agency twice grabbed his genitals — in front of his wife. His first reaction, Crews said, “was to be violent and I immediately held back.” Asked why, the former linebacker had a ready reply. “As a black man in America,” he said, “you only have a few shots at success, you only have a few chances to make yourself a viable member of the community. I’m from Flint, Michigan. I have seen many young black men who were provoked into violence: They were in prison or they were killed. They’re not here.”
Crews said it was his wife who counseled restraint, telling him if he ever had anyone try to push him into any situation, don’t do it — but don’t give up, Crews recalled. “She trained me and told me if this situation happens, let’s leave,” he said, “and the training worked because I did not go into my first reaction. The training worked. But the next day I went right to the agency and — I have texts, I have my own conversations — and I told them this is unacceptable.”
And when he asked the agency what they were going to do about the “predator roaming your halls,” Crews said he was given every assurance, “and then they disappeared.” (The man in question, Adam Venit of William Morris Endeavor, was demoted but not fired.)
“The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control,” Crews said of the encounter with Venit.
The experience “encouraged me to come forward with my own experience and reflect on the cult of toxic masculinity,” he explained.
“I’m not a small or insecure man but in that moment and in the time that followed I’ve never felt more emasculated,” Crews said. Watching women step forward as part of the #MeToo movement, he added, “this shame washed over me again and again and I knew I had to act.” And speak out he has — both a victim and a man in a position to do something about it.
“I have to say the silence is deafening when it comes to men coming forward,” he said. “As I told my story I was told over and over that this was not abuse. That this was a joke. That this was just horseplay. But one man’s horseplay is another’s humiliation.”
And though he came to Congress as one man Tuesday, Crews insisted he stands on the proverbial shoulders of many. “I sit here before you just as an example because a lot of people don’t believe that a person like me could actually be victimized, and what happened to me has happened to many, many other men in Hollywood, and since I came forward with my story I’ve had thousands and thousands of men come to me and say, ‘Me too — this is my story.’” You can read Crews’s full prepared remarks below.
