Ansel Elgort Denies Sexually Assaulting 17-Year-Old Girl in 2014
West Side Story actor Ansel Elgort has responded to allegations that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in 2014.
“I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I cannot claim to understand Gabby’s feelings but her description of events is simply not what happened,” Elgort continued. “I have never and would never assault anyone. What is true is that in New York in 2014, when I was 20, Gabby and I had a brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship. Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well. I stopped responding to her, which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone. I know this belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared.”
He concluded, “As I look back at my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry. I know I must continue to reflect, learn, and work to grow in empathy.”
A day earlier, Elgort has been accused of sexual assault by a young woman named “Gabby” who posted a lengthy note on Twitter.
She claimed that when she met up with the actor, “instead of asking me if I wanted to stop having sex knowing it was my first time,” he forced himself on her and “made me think this is how sex was supposed to be.” At the time, she didn’t tell anyone about the interaction “because he said it could ‘ruin his career.'”
“Years later I have PTSD, I have panic attacks, I go to therapy,” she wrote. “I just want to heal and I want other girls who have been through the same s–t as me, you’re not alone. It’s a lot for me to even come on here and tell my story but I know it’s needed.”
After posting her allegations on Twitter, in response to the negative responses from Elgort fans, she deleted her Twitter account.
It’s been a rocky week for the Baby Driver actor. A day before the sexual assault allegations were posted, another social media post accused him of using a racial slur to a black student while he was at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City.
In fact, since the allegations came out, many within that community are coming forward with stories of Elgort’s behavior while he attended and after he graduated.
There’s a lot to unpack here. But what I will say is that Elgort’s “apology” missed the mark entirely. I have an issue with him taking the road of painting her as some sort of spiteful teenager who he feels bad about ghosting and therefore trying to paint himself as a victim. I think there were plenty of other ways he could have handled this.
I do think a second wave of sexual misconduct allegations is coming. In the past week, in addition to Elgort, we also saw disturbing allegations against actor Chris D'Elia who had been accused of creepy behavior with teenage girls. D’Elia denied those allegations despite there being screenshots of texts he allegedly sent.
But this wave will be different from the first that happened two years ago. Then, women went to journalists and various publications to get their stories investigated. Now, women are taking the power of publication in their own hands and posting their allegations straight to social media or blog sites themselves. Whether or not this makes their claims more credible, is a debate that is raging right now.
But I do hope more women and anyone else who were assaulted come forward. In fact, I would encourage anyone wanting to report or come forward, contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.