Enter, yet another case of sexual assault in the media.
If this sounds like an episode of deja vu, I assure you it's not.
This is simply another story of another idiot who thought it was OK to harass people. Earlier this week, the cast and crew from “One Tree Hill" wrote a letter that accused Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment. The letter was written a day after the former writer of the show, Audrey Wauchope, shared her encounter of harassment from Schwahn on social media.
Wauchope took to Twitter to describe the frequent and unwanted physical advances by Schwahn. She wrote,
“I'm furious and sad and everything else for the women who have sat on that couch next to that man. And I'm furious and sad and everything else that years later I don't feel safe to be able to do anything real about this and that it seems to be happening all over this town."
The letter from the “One Tree Hill" cast includes the accounts of 18 women — including Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Sophia Bush — explaining how they were treated working under Schwahn.
Fast forward five years after the series ended, some women who were so incredibly affected by Schwahn still receive post-traumatic stress treatments. The letter not only backed Wauchope's claims but also accused their supervisors for failing to be “the protectors they were supposed to be," and for further creating an unsafe workplace when he was around.
The women claimed:
“Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be. Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe. More than one woman on our show had her career trajectory threatened."
Once the letter made it to the public, a few men from the cast — including Chad Michael Murray, Austin Nichols, and James Lafferty — offered their support via Twitter.
Later, E! Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television, who are behind Schwahn's latest show, “The Royals" said in a statement, “[We] take sexual harassment allegations very seriously, investigate them thoroughly and independently, and take appropriate action. Lionsgate has suspended Mark Schwahn from 'The Royals' as we continue our investigation."
The headlines tying Schwahn to harassment are just a piece of the pie.
Lately, there has been an increasing amount of sexual assault accusations that have surfaced. Not to say sexual harassment is new, but the production of stories have begun to make waves in the media in a monumental way. Shortly after the Harvey Weinstein scandal exploded, tons of powerful men in different industries have been outed and accused of similar allegations.
From Louis CK to BuzzFeed investigating its senior employees, we have been bombarded with a plethora of men who are deemed harassers. Many of these accounts are incomplete. However, this wave of women who have decided to stop hiding is empowering others to do the same.
Whether it's through social media using the hashtag #MeToo, or writing about it on Medium, stories of harassment, abuse, and the unimaginable are finally coming to light. The list of accused men will no doubt continue to grow, but until then these are the men that put shame to shame.
Harvey Weinstein
Accusation: Three accounts of rape of three women. Sexual assault and harassment of dozens of other women.
What happened next: He was fired from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Kevin Spacey
Accusation: Sexual assault of multiple men and sexual misconduct with a minor.
What happened next: Suspended from “House of Cards" and released from other upcoming projects as an actor.
James Toback
Accusation: Sexual harassment and misconduct — including dry-humping or masturbating — toward hundreds of women.
What happened next: Dropped by his agent.
Chris Savino
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 12 women.
What happened next: Fired from his position as Creator and Showrunner of “The Loud House"
Roy Price
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 1 woman.
What happened next: Resigned from his position as Head of Amazon Studios.
Mark Halperin
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 5 women.
What happened next: Dismissed from MSNBC and NBC News. Had book and HBO adaptation canceled.
Michael Oreskes
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 3 women.
What happened next: Resigned from his position as Head of News at NPR.
Lockhart Steele
Accusation: Sexual harassment of one person.
What happened next: Fired from his position as Editorial Director of Vox Media.
Gary Goddard
Accusation: Molestation and sexual misconduct of a minor, and rape of another.
What happened next: Under investigation.
Mark Schwahn
Accusation: Sexual harassment of more than 18 women.
What happened next: Suspended from “The Royals" amid investigation.
Louis C.K.
Accusation: Sexual misconduct with 5 women.
What happened next: FX and several media companies cut ties with him. His movie and comedy special were both canceled.
Steve Jurvetson
Accusation: Sexual misconduct.
What happened next: Resigned from his firm.
Eddie Berganza
Accusation: Sexual harassment.
What happened next: Fired from his position of Editor at DC Comics.
Andrew Kreisberg
Accusation: Sexual Harassment of more than 12 people.
What happened next: Suspended by Warner Bros. TV Group.
Roy Moore
Accusation: Sexual misconduct with 5 teens.
What happened next: Republican National Committee discontinued their financing.
Benjamin Genocchio
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 5 women.
What happened next: Replaced as Executive Director of the Armory Show art fair.
Ed Westwick
Accusation: Rape of 2 women.
What happened next: LAPD and TV shows are investigating.
David Guillod
Accusation: Sexual assault of 4 women.
What happened next: Resigned as Co-Chief Executive of Primary Wave Entertainment agency.
Jeff Hoover
Accusation: Sexual harassment.
What happened next: Resigned from his position.
Brett Ratner
Accusation: Rape, sexual assault, and harassment of 6 women.
What happened next: Stepped away from Warner Bros.
Kirt Webster
Accusation: Sexual assault and harassment.
What happened next: Left his firm Webster Public Relations.
Andy Dick
Accusation: Sexual harassment.
What happened next: Fired from film.
Hamilton Fish
Accusation: Harassment complaints by female employees.
What happened next: Resigned as President and Publisher of The New Republic.
Ken Baker
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 2 women.
What happened next: Removed from being on air as E! News correspondent during investigation.
Rick Najera
Accusation: Sexual harassment.
What happened next: Resigned from his position as Director of CBS's Diversity Showcase.
Knight Landesman
Accusation: Sexual harassment of 9 women.
What happened next: Resigned as the publisher of Artforum.
Leon Wieseltier
Accusation: Sexual Harassment of hundreds of women.
What happened next: Fired from Emerson Collective. Cancellation of the publication of the magazine he was editing.
Terry Richardson
Accusation: Sexual harassment of his models.
What happened next: Banned from Conde Nast as a Fashion Photographer.
John Besh
Accusation: Sexual harassment.
What happened next: Stepped down from his position as Chief Executive of the Besh Restaurant Group.
Robert Scoble
Accusation: Sexual assault of two women.
What happened next: Resigned from his position as Tech Blogger and Co-founder of the Transformation Group
Andy Signore
Accusation: Sexual assault of one woman. Harassment of other women.
What happened next: Fired from his position as Senior Vice President of Content for Defy Media.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or harassed, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673).