When the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, Terry Crews spoke up about being sexually assaulted by agent Adam Venit. Since then, Terry has fought for both men and women who have been victims of sexual assault and/or harassment. He has also fought for justice in his own case and as of yet, has not gotten any. The criminal charges against Venit were thrown out and William Morris Endeavor, whom Terry is suing along with Venit, forced Terry to undergo a seven-hour psychological examination. The news in this case is just terrible and it is a very good example of why people feel they can’t speak up.
Most of us support Terry and have from the beginning. Many of Terry’s famous friends have also publicly supported him. Yesterday, Terry posted this letter from Old Spice and its parent company, Procter & Gamble. Terry is a spokesperson for Old Spice in a series of memorable ads with Isaiah Mustafa:
“At it’s core, sexual misconduct is a lack of respect for another human being.”
Just received this wonderful letter of support from my friends and partners at @OldSpice and @ProcterGamble.
Thank you.
Just, thank you.💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/5ubkvnbSFA— terrycrews (@terrycrews) March 14, 2018
The letter reads:
To our longtime friend Terry,
We at Old Spice and P&G are on your side and offer our support in any way we can as you continue to fight against sexual misconduct. In so many instances it is women who are seen as the only victims of these types of assaults as few men come forward to tell their story too. We hope that men take your lead and stand up to expose those who are taking advantage of their position to cause harm to others. We also believe that men need to take a step back and put an end to the culture that allows sexual assault to continue to be such a pervasive problem. At its core, sexual misconduct is a lack of respect for another human being. We have nothing but respect for you, Terry, and we hope more people are empowered to come forward because of your courage.
Also, sexual assault should just stop. I mean, come on. Enough.
I don’t know why but it’s the signatures on the bottom that are choking me up the most. It’s like virtual hands reaching out to rest on Terry’s shoulders. This is how victims are supposed to be treated. I can’t tell you how happy I was to read this, especially after WME, who used to represent Terry, choose Venit over him and the Expendables franchise turned their backs on him as well. And I love that Terry highlighted the line, “At it’s core, sexual misconduct is a lack of respect for another human being,” because he really is invested in justice for all. This has never been just about him.
But Terry isn’t letting any of Venit/WME’s BS bring him down. He just appeared on Conan where he gave – makeup tips! Terry told Conan he loves aging but he’s all about enhancing his naturally beauty. And where does he shop for makeup? Sephora! Maybe Terry and I can pool our Insider points and get ALL the rewards.
Photo credit: WENN Photos, Twitter and YouTube
Terry is amazing and I can’t give him enough credit for continuing to fight his fight publicly.
Also good for P and G. Nothing wrong with doing the right thing for some good PR. It at least says something about the direction we’re headed if marketing and PR departments start to see the power in making strong statements like this.
This is definitely brilliant PR… but at the same time, they had no way of knowing whether he’d even share it. Their first priority was definitely to reach out and support someone they value. Says so much about Terry and about Old Spice.
I’m from Cincinnati (where they are based) and know P&G well. They are a loud voice here for diversity and equality, though I’m sure they knew exactly what they were doing PR wise. I attended of some of their International Women’s Day programming and they had some very powerful videos supporting #metoo so I’m not surprised they did this. Good for them and stay strong Terry!
I don’t work there but I know a lot of people that do. I totally scanned the signatures looking for anyone I knew! That was a really nice touch.
I love terry crews.
I am the antiperspirant buyer in the family (lol, what a title) – I will happily continue to buy Old Spice for my 3 guys. Well done!
+1
I buy it for me! I love the citron scent – not too girly or manly, just a pleasant neutral. Now I’ll feel extra good about wearing it 😊
My dad, and now my nephews, use Old Spice; I love the scent. I am so glad to know that they are a company with values, PR be damned (I am believing/hoping they did this not JUST for the PR factor (hence the personal signatures)). I left a tweet on their page showing my support.
Love Terry, and so glad he is not stepping down. This crap can NOT be tolerated any more! ENOUGH!
Love Terry and I hope he continues to stay strong in the face of such BS. His agency ain’t sh*t.
This letter. ..
I hope we see more of this.
I very rarely comment, as usually the fine people on here have echoed my thoughts far more eloquently than I would be able to. However, this is a post that deserves hundreds of comments. I love Terry, his work on Brooklyn 99, and now P&G. This is exactly what a company should do to support its talent.
Ditto. I really like this guy and he is speaking out about something a great majority of people are too afraid to do. And with what has been publicly thrown to at him with respect to his case, I see why people don’t speak out.
+1
My Guy wears Old Spice…and this gives me just ANOTHER reason to love the brand!!!!
Mine too! I’m happy to see a big company actually making a point of publicly standing with him. It definitely won’t hurt their bottom line, and honestly, it makes me want to stock up.
The signatures made it so much nicer. They could have just sent a non-descript form letter, but they took the time to pass it around and get signatures from ACTUAL people – it’s much more personal, and I’m sure it made a huge difference to Terry.
I really love that they did that for him. And he is the one to share it, not them, so they were truly just being kind, not looking for PR.
What Teri is going through would have broken a lot of people. I’m glad he has the strength and support to continue his fight.
I have loved P&G ever since their Thank You, Mom commercials aired during the Olympics. This makes me love them even more and will continue to buy their products.
Proud of him and the company. Good job.
I love this but as the resident party ruiner let me say this; Old Spice and P&G had better have rock solid pro-victim procedures in place at their corporation. I best not hear that some intern was dismissed after reporting misconduct. We dont need another Oxfam situation please.
I totally teared up over the fact it was personally signed by so many. I’m such a baby.
Such a great guy, Terry. Good for OS, too.
I feel like I need him to be my best friend. Him and Tracee Ellis Ross, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jonathan from the new Queer Eye. Damn, there’s my Cabinet if I’m ever President.
Well done.
“I don’t know why but it’s the signatures on the bottom that are choking me up the most. ” SAME!!! I saw those and immediately teared up.
That’s such a well written letter and so kind. Mr. Crews seems like a good man and I’m glad that his colleagues have given him support. And I don’t think it counts as “PR” if it was sent privately, which in my mind makes it even better.
Maybe Old Spice can bring back the 1960s formulation of Old Spice…. I’d pay for it, OS people. OG Old Spice?
This made me teary-eyed.
Me too, a beautiful letter. I hope Terry brings them down. And seriously side eye all those celebrities that have worn the pin and black dresses yet don’t publicly support Terry, one of their own.
I think this got me because anyone who’s ever tried to get a handful of people to sign a damn birthday card knows it’s an effort. This sounds ridiculous but it’s one of those office things. They didn’t just have some assitant type up a few words and send it out. People participated, even if it seems like a small thing.
Those signatures also made me emotional. He deserves all the support in the world. Also, I can’t wait for Brooklyn Nine-Nine new season!