Morgan Freeman has issued another statement since eight women have come forward accusing him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.
On Thursday, CNN reported that eight women said that Freeman interacted inappropriately with women in varying work environments. The report said that people described a pattern of the behavior by Freeman while on set, while promoting movies and at Freeman's production company.
After the report emerged, Freeman issued an apology, saying, “Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”
In a new statement, People reported, Freeman is denying the allegations, saying he apologized Thursday for unintentionally upsetting people with his comments in the past.
Freeman’s full statement can be read below.
“I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports. All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humor.
I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women — and men — feel appreciated and at ease around me. As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologized Thursday and will continue to apologize to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally.
“But I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false.”
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