Bryan Singer faces new accusations of sexual misconduct involving underage boys in an exposé published Wednesday by The Atlantic, in which multiple men accuse the Hollywood director of either seducing them when they were underage or of rape.
One young man said that he had sex with Singer during a 1997 at the filmmaker’s house when he was 17; another said he was 15 when he had sex that same year in a Beverly Hills mansion. Both said that Singer, who was then in his 30s, knew they were under the age of consent in California.
The Atlantic said that it interviewed more than 50 people for its story, including four previously unidentified accusers.
“It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity,” Singer said in a statement released through his attorney about what he called a “homophobic smear piece.” “Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention.
Andrew B. Brettler also told The Atlantic that Singer vehemently denies that he ever had sex with underage men and noted that Singer had never been arrested for any crime.
The director’s reputation has taken a beating in the last year after he was fired from the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” mid-production following on-set tensions and reports of frequent absences from the set. Dexter Fletcher completed the production, though Singer is still credited as the film’s sole director under DGA rules.
The film has gone on to be a massive hit, earning $750 million worldwide and picking up the Golden Globe for best dramatic picture. The film earned five Oscar nominations on Tuesday, including Best Picture.
Singer, who followed his early success with 1995’s “The Usual Suspects” by directing four blockbuster “X-Men” movies, has previously faced accusations of sexual misconduct involving young men.
In December 2017, just days after Singer’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” ouster, a man named Cesar Sanchez-Guzman filed a lawsuit accusing Singer of forced oral sex and anal penetration while aboard a yacht in Seattle, Washington, in 2003. Sanchez-Guzman said he was 17 years old at the time. Singer has denied the charge.
In April 2014, Michael Egan claimed in a lawsuit that he was raped by Singer and that the director also made him take cocaine, and provided him with drugs and alcohol. Egan later withdrew his lawsuit. Sanchez-Guzman and Egan shared the same lawyer for their respective suits.