Ed Westwick deleted his rape-denials from social media as the DA reviews his case

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Last fall, Sex Predator-gate took over Hollywood and predators were being “outed” right and left as women finally felt that they could come forward with their Me Too stories and be believed. A total of four women have now accused Ed Westwick of rape or sexual assault, and all of the stories have some really f–ked up similarities, from Ed’s maze-like home, to his male friend enabling (possibly procuring) the assaults to the women growing mysteriously tired, like they had been drugged. A few of the women said they had made statements to the police and last week, media outlets confirmed that the LAPD had an open investigation into Westwick and that a District Attorney is “reviewing the case.” So this is interesting:

Ed Westwick has deleted statements he posted on social media denying sexual assault allegations made against him.

“It has come to the attention of investigators that Mr. Westwick has removed denials about alleged rapes of the victims in this investigation from his social media accounts that he had posted last November,” a law enforcement source tells Us Weekly. It’s not clear when the English actor wiped his posts but the news comes four days after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office confirmed that his case was under review.

Us has also learned that Westwick has hired a high-profile L.A.-based female criminal lawyer to represent him. A source close to Westwick tells Us, “It’s his lawyer’s policy for people to not use social media.”

As previously reported, the Gossip Girl alum, 30, has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women — allegations he denied at the time on Twitter. Kristen Cohen alleged in November 2017 that Westwick raped her after a producer introduced her to the actor in 2014. Westwick wrote in a now-deleted tweet, “I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.” Actress Aurelie Wynn later detailed a similar 2014 incident on Facebook, claiming the Wicked City actor pushed her face down and assaulted her. Another woman, Rachel Eck subsequently told Buzzfeed that the actor had aggressively groped her.

“It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct,” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet in response to Wynn and Eck’s claims. “I have absolutely not, and I am cooperating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible.”

[From Us Weekly]

I covered Westwick’s social media-posted denials at the time. I didn’t believe him then, and I believe even less now that I’ve read the accounts of four of his (alleged) victims. I get that his lawyer probably told him to delete that sh-t and that the deletions are not an admission of guilt, but I do have one question for the lawyer: you do realize that nothing is ever really gone, right? Those denials were copied and they’ll be used in his trial, if there ever is a trial. He’s on the record saying he doesn’t know these women and that their claims were “provably untrue.”

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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50 Responses to “Ed Westwick deleted his rape-denials from social media as the DA reviews his case”

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  1. Kitty says:

    There must be some proof if he deleted the denials. Saying he never met the women will turn around on him if it’s proved he did. Hope charges are filed,

    • Rebecca says:

      Did he deny knowing all 4 of the women or just one of them? If it’s all four and they can prove they know him, I think he’s in trouble. (As he should be.) If it’s just one, I suppose he can use the Charlie Sheen defense – that he sleeps with so many people he doesn’t remember them all.

  2. Miles says:

    The lengths that Hollywood went to protect this man is unreal. Even when Gossip Girl was at its peak, the stars of the show were Blake and Leighton. Yet he was afforded protection as if he was some A-lister who Hollywood couldn’t afford to lose.

    And watching his interviews now, it’s actually disturbing. He’d talk about becoming more like Chuck everyday….you know the character that raped or attempted to rape female characters on the show. The character who everyone considered a creep. When asked what he would steal from the gossip girl set his response was “Blake. Do you even have to ask why?” As if women are just inanimate objects that can be stolen. He’s gross. He’s always been gross. I hope his rapist self gets thrown in jail where it belongs.

    • Jussie says:

      I don’t think he personally was being protected. In two of the stories it’s clear that a producer friend of his was essentially hand delivering him his victims. If that guy was doing that for Ed, he was almost certainly doing it for other people too, and one of them is probably someone important.

    • lucy2 says:

      I don’t get the sense that he was protected by Hollywood. He was dropped from projects as soon as these allegations came out, and it sounds to me like the victims didn’t come forward until recently. I don’t think this was an open secret/industry coverup kind of situation, nor was he in any way a big star.

      I REALLY hope they prosecute him and the guy who was helping him. It was the same guy in several stories, right? And I hope if there are more victims, they have the strength to contact the police too.

    • Una says:

      Chuck Bass was a horrible character but the viewership, mostly female, adored him. I wonder how much the character and his popularity shaped and validated Westwick’s behaviour. Men’s rights groups use popularity of vile male characters in female lit and shows as validation for their own creepiness. He is disgusting and I would not be surprised if he had the same excuses for his vile behavioue.

      • Sherry says:

        I don’t know that the viewership adored Chuck Bass so much. I think it was “Chuck and Blair” they adored. Because they were an iconic couple key to the show, the producers may have felt they needed to protect the actor for the show’s sake. In the words of Blair “There is no Blair without Chuck.”

        As always in that industry, it all boils down to money.

      • Una says:

        He was the second most popular character definitely. First was of course Blair. I watched the show but I never cared for Chuck and other fans have accused me of not understanding him etc. Dan and Blair were my favorite, mainly because he validated Blair as an independent woman. Show was so fucking messy and sloppily written though. At the end all of them were shitty people to a degree. Btw I am not trying to blame GG or fans for Westwick’s behavour. Rob Pattinson played Edward Cullen and managed not to be a creep. There many other examples too. GG is fantasy and many women do fantasise about turning bad boys into good men. *shrug*

      • Merritt says:

        Blair and Dan were a better pairing.

      • Ada says:

        I rewatched Gossip Girl recently and was shocked by how overtly predatory the character of Chuck was, especially in the first couple of episodes. I watched the show religiously in my teens and had become caught up in the romance of Chuck and Blair, and his character’s sad rich boy schtick. It was nauseating to realize in retrospect that I had watched the rehabilitation of a rapist on TV. I don’t know how this affected/enabled EW individually, of course, but it sure says something about our general cultural narratives about who is considered to deserve redemption etc.

        I’m not opposed to “bad boy” stories in general – I like my fictional men broody, but while e.g. Heathcliff is a fascinating character he is no romantic hero. The fact that women write about violent men does not mean that they desire them.

    • Aren says:

      I don’t think he was being protected as such, he was just part of an industry that abuses women and children regularly.
      They probably don’t even have to protect one another, because they know nobody is going to get prosecuted.

    • M says:

      This is a great point. He is not even an A lister!

  3. Nancy says:

    Wow. Are there any virtuous men left? I thank the heavens for my husband or I might consider switching teams.

    • Kitty says:

      I am so thankful for my husband too, I can’t imagine what it’s like on the dating scene

    • Lexter says:

      Hugh Jackman!

    • Mia4s says:

      Virtuous? The bar’s not nearly that high in Hollywood. If they haven’t raped/abused/harassed women they are on the list for sainthood in Hollywood. Seriously.

    • otaku fairy says:

      A friend of mine who got married the year after we all graduated half-jokingly said something similar a few months ago in a conversation we were having about Sex Predatorgate. “If I didn’t have ( ) I probably wouldn’t be looking to be married any time soon. What a mess.”

  4. SM says:

    Just looking at him, he gives me the creeps. I hope he does see the inside of a courtroom for this.

  5. Lucy says:

    Nothing is, indeed, ever really gone. Xoxo…

  6. kate says:

    He was already playing a sexual predator in Gossip Girl. His character tried to assault both Jenny and Serena IN THE PILOT. But then, the viewer is supposed to root for Blair and him as a couple and forget all about it, as do the other characters. Disgusting, and such a messed up message to send to the teenagers and young adults who were watching the show.

    • lower-case deb says:

      i stuck around longer than i should because of leighton, and because my roommate at the time (gosh that was such a long time ago) told me to stick around for the Dan and Blair story arc.

      it was so promising and then season 6 rolled around and man did i regret that something fierce. they were so stupid with that final season i really wished it would stop 1.5 seasons earlier.

      but i guess abusive relationships with minimal boundaries are what people like? see 50SOG, twilight….

    • Milla says:

      But it’s made up TV show. Even reality TV is scriped. I do not think that the show has anything to do with his behavior.

      He’s deranged. Making it about Gossip girl is a cop out.

      • kate says:

        I did not say GG made him into a rapist, just that his early storylines with two of the female characters were disturbing, as was the way viewers were just supposed to forget all about it.

    • Danielle says:

      It’s strange, I was huge GG fan back in my teens. I used to really root for Chair but it even got to a point when I was watching it that is started to bother me. The way they portrayed Chuck and Blair’s relationship was seriously messed up. It was a horrible message to send out. I watched it back again a few years ago and it really disturbed me. I know that you cant make the argument that it’s Ed’s fault or anything because he’s just an actor who happens to be gross in real life, but I would really question the writers of the show.

      • Milla says:

        I liked Ed and Leighton the best. They had crazy chemistry in the beginning. My mum loved them. I didn’t mind that whole Chuck is insane story, but I did mind the bad script and everything post season two.

        That being said, he’s been in other shows and his band was ok, but the guy is cancelled. You cannot deny four women. Problem is how to prove rape. It is hard especially after few years…

    • Arlene says:

      Blech. Glad I never watched that garbage.

    • Aren says:

      I never saw the series but based on what I’ve heard he’s just the typical ‘bad guy’ who just needs a good, pure and nice girl so he can settle and change.
      We’re always told we have to help those men, it’s our responsibility to save them, and if they’re still bad afterwards (surprise!) it’s because we didn’t try hard enough.

      • kate says:

        Bad boy turned good because of the love of a nice girl is one of the damaging TV/movie tropes out there. 50 shades of sh*t being the latest and most famous examples.

    • Jussie says:

      His character was originally only meant to be in the pilot, and maybe occasionally show up for a scene or two at the school. The writers decided they loved the character and made Ed a permanent cast member, but they didn’t change the pilot so it’s jarring.

  7. Annie says:

    He probably deleted them because it will be proven eventually that he indeed knew these women. I don’t see why would anyone delete something like this. The Internet is written in ink, people.

    Anyway, my friends are being super annoying about this, shaming the women for not leaving, saying they want money just because they love Gossip Girl. I just cannot believe what I hear sometimes. I’ve been through some close calls myself where I did leave immediately after feeling uncomfortable because of some guy and it’s a horrible situation to be in because it’s never a stranger or a guy who appears sketchy at first. It’s always a friend or someone you know. You do freeze in the moment, you panic, you’re scared, you can’t believe what’s happening. I don’t judge these girls one bit and I’ve been in their position even though I did the “right” thing and leave. How can people judge if you haven’t been in their shoes? Whatever happened to empathy? I’m glad nothing happened to me but I still kick myself for not leaving sooner. Because had anything happened to me everyone would’ve blamed me or told me that I wanted it and then regretted it. We need to accept who the real problem is here. It’s these rapey creepy guys. Like with the Aziz situation, just because you were in some guy’s apartment doesn’t mean he has the right to do whatever he wants to you. I hate this sexist society.

    • Snowflake says:

      This ^^^ all of it!

    • Arlene says:

      I have also seen a lot of GG stans defending ‘Chuck’, saying “he could sexually assault me any day…” Like, where is your respect?? For yourself and others!?!

      • kate says:

        I have seen the same from Chris Brown’s fans. I just hope none of Chris B or Ed W’s victimes have to read this offensive garbage.

    • Aren says:

      If we leave we’re “freaking out”, “exaggerating”, “being paranoid”.
      It’s never a victim’s fault though.

    • Kitten says:

      YES to everything you said.

      People were implying on the Stormy thread from yesterday that she’s a sex worker, thus she doesn’t value her autonomy and thinks that women “owe” men if they agree to go to their apartment–but I’m not sure that attitude is specific to the industry she works in.

      When I was young and not as assertive as I am now, I can recount at least one time where I gave in to sex when I wasn’t feeling it AT ALL. At the time, I felt a kind of obligation because I knew it had gotten to the point of no return and didn’t feel like it was “fair” to back out.
      Back then, our society was still sending the collective message that women who leave men “blue-balled” are “teases” or “prudes” or whatever other bullshit term they wanted to throw at us. I’m not saying that it was a common occurrence for me, but yeah I’ve definitely been there before. Just do it, get it over with and leave as soon as the guy passes out. Then you avoid his phone calls because his behavior was gross and a total turn-off.

      Yes, it’s an extremely toxic cycle but let’s not pretend that it’s rare.

  8. Mia4s says:

    I made the mistake of searching his name on twitter. His fans are frightening. There aren’t that many but…enough. This is all a great lie and conspiracy you know? Against….some guy from Gossip Girl who has barely been relevant for years. Interesting take. Ugh. 😑

    • Nanny to the rescue says:

      I read some of it too. One woman writing the longest complaint to BBC claiming some TV-show that kicked him off will lose MILLIONS of viewers. Yeah, no. He’s not that popular, not that influential, and the actor replacing him will bring in his own set of fans. That’s just how it works.

      Whining on Twitter is one thing. Officially complaining to BBC is another. I’m a lowlife asshole so I find that entertaining.

      • Arlene says:

        I find that highly entertaining, but the only low-life asshole here is the one writing legit complaints to BBC over losing a rapist…

      • Meggles says:

        Please, Agatha Christie adaptations sell in Britain on the strength of one name only, and it ain’t his or any other actor.

        Besides it’s on the officially non-commercial BBC. Not to say ratings don’t matter, but it’s not like a movie. (Not that I think for a second that replacing “the creepy guy from that old teen soap” would affect ratings. Like the average Brit Agatha Christie viewer has ever heard of Gossip Girl).

      • Nanny to the rescue says:

        Ha, I didn’t know it was an Agatha Christie adaptation. You’re right, her complaint is then even sillier.

  9. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    He reminds me of Andrew Luster and that whole disgusting story. He has a twisted vibe about him.

  10. Danielle says:

    The fact that he was friends with Mark Salling and that one of his victim was Mark’s then girlfriend gives me shivers. Evil finds evil. It sounds like there was a group of them involved. Especially seen as most of these stories follow the same line in that they were “brought” to Ed’s house.

    • kate says:

      Me too. It is one hell of a coincidence than two of the victims had the same boyfriend. I hope the Da’s office is looking into that as well.

  11. pizza, pls says:

    Cannot believe people found this guy sexy. wow