Morgan Freeman Allegedly Grabbed Skirts and Ogled Women Like a 'Creepy Uncle'

In a damning exposé from CNN, 16 people have come forward accusing Morgan Freeman of sexual harassment, claiming he touched women inappropriately, made sexually suggestive comments, and treated women on set and in interviews in a way that created a "toxic" work environment.

Eight people said they experienced inappropriate behavior themselves, including one production assistant who said Freeman harassed her on set for months, touching her inappropriately and making suggestive comments about her body and clothing on what she described as a near-daily basis. The behavior escalated, the PA told CNN, when—one day in 2015 while they were shooting Going in Style—Freeman "kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear." She said she repeatedly moved away from Freeman, but he kept grabbing at her skirt until Alan Arkin, who co-starred in the movie, intervened.

"Alan made a comment telling him to stop," the PA told CNN. "Morgan got freaked out and didn't know what to say." Ultimately, she said, Freeman's behavior led her to leave the movie industry. It's just one alleged incident in a pattern of similar behavior uncovered by CNN.

Several women said they changed the way they dressed if they knew they might run into Freeman at work, hoping to avoid what one described as "constant comments" about how they looked and his alleged habit of ogling them.

"He did comment on our bodies," one woman who worked on Going in Style said. "We knew that if he was coming by… not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were] fitted."

The behavior also spilled into Freeman's production company, Revelations, where he acted like a "creepy uncle" to female staffers, according to one male former employee—allegedly asking women in the office to twirl for him, looking them up and down, and once massaging an intern's shoulder. Those who spoke to CNN said they never reported Freeman's behavior to HR, fearing they'd be fired.

"It's hard because on any set he is the most powerful person on it," one male former employee said. "It's weird because you just don't expect it from Morgan Freeman, someone who you respect."

Although Freeman's spokesperson reportedly failed to respond to what CNN said was "multiple follow-ups by email seeking comment on the accusations," the actor released a statement on Thursday in response.

"Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy," Freeman wrote. "I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected—that was never my intent."

It's too early to tell if or how the allegations might affect Freeman's career like the many other stars who have been accused of sexual misconduct. As it stands, he's attached to at least five upcoming projects, but the accusations have already prompted at least one institution—Vancouver's public transit authority—to distance itself from the actor, if only his voice.

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