‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Caterina Scorsone Says Director James Toback Sexually Harassed Her
“Many industry people knew about it and encouraged me to stay silent,” actress says
Jennifer Maas | October 31, 2017 @ 1:41 PM
Last Updated: November 10, 2017 @ 4:51 PM
Getty Images
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Caterina Scorsone has joined the ranks of hundreds of women accusing James Toback of sexual harassment, saying the director made inappropriate advances toward her when she was a teenager. In response to Toback’s recent Rolling Stone interview, in which he completely denied the allegations posed against him, the actress posted a lengthy statement to Instagram over the weekend about the “predatory director” and an essay she recently shared about her alleged experiences with him at the age of 17.
“In response to James Toback’s crass denial in Rolling Stone, I feel I must corroborate the stories of these women,” Scorsone wrote on Instagram. “I want to be clear that the predatory director I wrote about in the article I posted a few days back, was James Toback. The article was written 17 years ago. Many industry people knew about it and encouraged me to stay silent. I didn’t, and it directly affected my career. I stand with all the women who were brave enough to tell their stories. I also stand with all the women who don’t feel that they can speak up, even now. Let’s shine light into all the darkest corners.”
Scorscone shared the article in question on Instagram a few days before making her direct accusations against Toback. In the personal essay, which she penned at 17, she wrote about suffering sexual advances while auditioning for a feature film with a “fairly prominent director.” A the time, she did not mention Toback by name.
“He launched into a semantic lecture about the nature and definition of sex, orgasm and the universe,” Scorsone wrote of Toback’s alleged behavior. “When this failed to convince me, he called my vocation into question.”
“He told me that I was repressed, and that, if I were a real actor like the half-dozen names he mentioned working with, I would be willing to trust him and just ‘go there,'” she added.
The actress, who plays Dr. Amelia Shepherd on “Grey’s Anatomy,” noted that she retired from acting soon after publishing the essay, but returned when she felt safe with showrunners like Shonda Rhimes, who she calls “an example of the good side of this industry.”
Toback spoke to Rolling Stone’s Hillel Aron four days before the Los Angeles Times published an expose that included 38 women’s accusations of sexual harassment against the director. “The idea that I would offer a part to anyone for any other reason than that he or she was gonna be the best of anyone I could find is so disgusting to me,” Toback said in response to the sexual harassment accounts Aron had gathered from nine women. “And anyone who says it is a lying c–sucker or c– or both. Can I be any clearer than that?”
A post shared by Caterina Scorsone (@caterinascorsone) on
Timeline of Fox Sexual Harassment and Other Scandals, From Roger Ailes to Bill O'Reilly (Photos)
The sudden ousting of Fox Sports President Jamie Horowitz and the suspension of Fox Business Host Charles Payne this week are the latest signs of a sea shift in the Murdoch-run entertainment giant in its response to allegations of sexual harassment and other questionable behavior by executives and on-air talent.
Various
July 6, 2016: Gretchen Carlson files lawsuit against Roger Ailes Former “Fox & Friends” anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes, who denied her claims.
Fox and Friends
July 9, 2016: Six other women claim Ailes harassed them Former Republican National Committee field adviser Kellie Boyle and model Marsha Callahan were among the six women who accused Ailes of previous harassment. Ailes denied the claims.
Getty Images
July 19, 2016: Megyn Kelly says she was sexually harassed by Ailes Amid an external law firm’s investigation into the multiple claims against Ailes, then primetime host Megyn Kelly told investigators that she had been harassed by Ailes years ago. Kelly wrote in her memoir about talking to investigators about the allegations.
Fox News
July 21, 2016: Ailes resigns Fox News announced that Ailes had resigned as network chairman after two decades of dominating cable news, walking away with a $40 million severance package.
Getty Images
Jan. 10, 2017: Bill O’Reilly settlement comes to light News surfaced that the “O’Reilly Factor” host had previously settled with Juliet Huddy, a Fox News employee who claimed he tried to derail her career after she rebuffed his romantic advances.
Getty Images
March 8, 2017: Fox News settles with Tamara N. Holder Fox News paid former on-air contributor Tamara N. Holder more than $2.5 million following allegations that Fox News Latino vice president Francisco Cortes tried to coerce her into performing oral sex on him.
Fox News Latino
March 24, 2017: Fox News comptroller Judy Slater sacked Fox News has fired longtime comptroller Judy Slater after an internal investigation concluded she had engaged in a pattern of racist comments and behavior; several of the employees later filed lawsuits against the network over the incidents.
Fox News
April 1, 2017: Claims against O’Reilly settled for $13 million A New York Times investigation found that O’Reilly and Fox News had paid $13 million in total to five women who had worked or appeared on “O’Reilly Factor” over the years and made claims of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior.
Fox News
April 3, 2017: Another lawsuit against Ailes and Fox News Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky filed a lawsuit accusing Ailes of sexually harassing her. She also alleged that Fox News co-president Bill Shine retaliated against her for making the claims. Ailes denied the allegations, and Shine declined to comment.
Getty Images
April 19, 2017: Fox News cuts ties with O’Reilly Fox News announced that O’Reilly would not return to the network following its external investigation into claims of sexual harassment.
Twitter
April 21, 2017: Debbie Schlussel claims Sean Hannity invited her to his hotel Former Fox News guest Debbie Schlussel claimed that primetime host Sean Hannity had once invited her back to his hotel after an event they attended, and that she was never invited back to Hannity's show after she rebuffed his advances. The host denied the claims. Schlussel later clarified that she did not consider the encounter to constitute sexual harassment. "I thought he was weird and creepy," she told LawNewz.
Getty Images
April 24, 2017: Andrea Tarantos files her own lawsuit Andrea Tantaros, a former host of the Fox show “The Five,” filed a new lawsuit against Ailes, Shine and other network executives, claiming that an extensive online harassment campaign had been waged against her. Fox News sought arbitration and called Tantaros “not a victim” but “an opportunist.”
Various
May 1, 2017: Bill Shine resigns Following Roginsky and Tarantos’ lawsuits, Fox News announced that Shine was exiting the network.
Getty Images
May 19, 2017: Bob Beckel fired at Fox News Fox News fired “The Five” co-host Bob Beckel after he was accused of making an insensitive remark to an African-American employee. Fox News human resources took less than 48 hours to investigate the incident and recommend dismissal, a network executive told TheWrap.
Fox News
June 19, 2017: Investigation by the state of New York The New York State Division on Human Rights launched an investigation into Fox News, over her sexual harassment claims by former “O’Reilly Factor” guest commentator Wendy Walsh against O’Reilly, Walsh’s attorney Lisa Bloom said. O’Reilly has denied Walsh’s claims.
Fox News
July 3, 2017: Fox Sports fires Jamie Horowtiz Jamie Horowitz was abruptly ousted from his position as president of Fox Sports National Networks amid allegations of sexual harassment against Horowitz, an individual familiar with the matter told the New York Times. Horowitz’s attorney denied any misconduct.
Getty Images
July 6, 2017: Fox Business suspends Charles Payne Charles Payne, the host of Fox Business’ “Making Money,” was suspended by the network due to an investigation over a three-year relationship with a married political analyst who appeared as a guest on Fox Business and Fox News, the Los Angeles Times reported. Payne denied allegations of sexual harassment, calling them an “ugly lie.”
Fox
1 of 18
Here’s everything you need to know about accusations that the company has faced so far
The sudden ousting of Fox Sports President Jamie Horowitz and the suspension of Fox Business Host Charles Payne this week are the latest signs of a sea shift in the Murdoch-run entertainment giant in its response to allegations of sexual harassment and other questionable behavior by executives and on-air talent.