Bret Easton Ellis: I Was Invited to a Bryan Singer ‘Underage’ Party (Audio)

“American Psycho” author says news of parties was no surprise to him

Bryan Singer attends the premiere of 'Jack The Giant Slayer' on February 26, 2013 in Hollywood (Getty Images)

Bret Easton Ellis has joined the ranks of Angelenos who say they’ve known for years about Bryan Singer‘s parties with underage or barely legal boys.

Ellis said he dated one man in his late twenties who told the “Less Than Zero” author he was a willing participant in Singer’s party scene. Ellis also said he was at a dinner party in December 2007 where several other gay men invited him to another party later that night at the M & C Estate in Encino.

Also read: Bryan Singer Speaks Out for First Time on Sexual Abuse Allegations

“I said where are you guys going? And they said, ‘We’re going over to one of Bryan’s underage parties in Encino at the M&C Estate,’ or whatever it was called,” Ellis said on his podcast Monday. “And I said ‘Really, those are going on?’ And they said ‘Oh yeah, yeah. You should just see it, as a goof.’ … I just didn’t really feel comfortable. I had been drinking, and didn’t want to drive and whatever.”

Michael Egan, a man who accuses Singer of repeatedly raping him in Hawaii when he was 17, contends in his civil lawsuit against the “X-Men: Days of Future Past” director that the abuse began when he was 15 at parties at the M & C Estate. Singer has denied the allegations.

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Many people have talked about the parties anonymously, but Ellis was open about his recollections. Like so many of the people who say they knew long ago about the underage parties, Ellis did not say he reported anything to the police.

Ellis also told his podcast guest, “True Blood” creator Alan Ball, that he knew at least one man who took part in the underage party scene consensually — because he dated him.

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“There was another guy that I dated who was in his late 20s and he said he had been one of those guys who had been invited to those parties for about 2 or 3 months,” Ellis said. “And he’s a sensitive guy and he wasn’t at all into the drugs but he was kind of into the parties and the sex and the attention. And could easily understand — I guess he was 17? I don’t know how old he was — what was expected of him.”

He said the guy understood “why I’m here and what my expiration date is” — and then moved on from the scene.

Ellis didn’t take a position on whether the rape allegations against Singer are true, but said he had some “suspicions” about the case and why it’s coming out now, just before the release of the new “X-Men” film.

Also read: Bryan Singer’s Lawyer Slams Sex Allegations in Detailed Response: We Have Proof My Client Was Not in Hawaii (Exclusive)

The author — whose work often includes exploited young people — also said it’s hard to say how much sexual agency a 17-year-old boy has.

“There is a long and hallowed history about… the quote-unquote abuse,” Ellis said. “This is where it gets murky, because I think at 17 and you’re a guy, it’s much different than if you’re 12 or 13.”

Added Ball: “It’s tricky. If a 15-year-old boy — and they knew he was 15 — and he was getting drugs and everything — I mean, that’s a messed-up situation. Just in the sense of like, why would you put yourself in a situation like that? That’s not kosher. It never will be. But I also know there are a lot of young men, there are a lot of beautiful young men in this town who want to be stars.”

Also read: Hollywood Is on Edge as Bryan Singer Sex Allegations Rock Insider Ranks

Ellis said some young men know what they’re getting into. He said Singer’s accuser “stuck around” until he was 17.

“One person’s experience is different from another’s,” he said. “You should be cognizant of the situation you’re in. And if you like it, hey, put up with it. A couple of my friends did for the month they were allowed there. But then, I don’t know. It gets into a very murky tricky thing to talk about: Adolescent male sexuality and what is the age where you begin to understand and own it?”

Here’s audio of the podcast (The discussion about Singer begins around the 58:45 mark):

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