Last month, multiple women told their stories about Chris Noth. Their stories were credible accusations of rape, attempted rape, sexual harassment and sexual abuse, spanning the past two decades. Within days of the first credible accusations coming out, Chris Noth was filed from all of his jobs. Peloton removed their ads with him, Noth was edited out of the remaining episodes of And Just Like That, and most significantly, Noth was flat-out fired from CBS’s The Equalizer. The Equalizer is a “star vehicle” for Queen Latifah, but Noth had a sizable role in the series. Before now, Latifah had not said anything about Noth’s firing or the accusations against him. She has a new interview with People Mag and she spoke about all of it:
Queen Latifah is speaking out about Chris Noth’s dismissal from The Equalizer after a series of sexual assault allegations against him surfaced last month. After the allegations were made public, CBS released a statement on Dec. 20 confirming that Noth, 67, had been removed from the series, which he starred in alongside Latifah. “Chris Noth will no longer film additional episodes of The Equalizer, effective immediately,” the statement said at the time.
About a month later, Latifah, 51, opened up to People (the TV Show!) special contributor Julie Moran about her former costar Noth.
“It’s still surreal. It is such a dicey, delicate situation that requires a great deal of respect,” she said, adding, “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.”
As for how his character is being written off, the actress and singer said, “We are figuring out what we want to do creatively on the show and how we’re going to deal with that character.”
“Chris’s character’s obviously a big part of the show and it was amazing chemistry, amazing chemistry,” Latifah continued. “And my feeling is justice has to prevail regardless. I just want the right things to be done, you know?”
Latifah and Noth had been filming The Equalizer together since 2020. The first season aired in February 2021, and season 2 followed in October. Noth played William Bishop, a former CIA director, on the series. Latifah is his counterpart, a former CIA operative named Robyn McCall.
This irritated me: “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.” I understand that it’s not “on” Latifah to condemn him or speak in detail about a situation which is likely out of her hands. She was aiming for non-committal across the board, and I think her words are open to interpretation. My hope is that this – “And my feeling is justice has to prevail regardless. I just want the right things to be done, you know?” – is a harsh assessment. I hope her sense of justice is “Noth never works again, his wife divorces him and he’s charged with crimes.”
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- Actress Queen Latifah wearing Sergio Hudson with Givenchy shoes, Pervis Ross jewelry, and a Heliopolis bag arrives at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey, United States.,Image: 536987532, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289 – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- New York, NY – Queen Latifah and Chris Noth seen filming a scene for their TV series, “The Equalizer” in midtown today. Pictured: Queen Latifah, Chris Noth BACKGRID USA 18 NOVEMBER 2020 BYLINE MUST READ: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Queen Latifah and Chris Noth seen filming a scene for their TV series, “The Equalizer” in midtown today. Pictured: Queen Latifah, Chris Noth BACKGRID USA 18 NOVEMBER 2020 BYLINE MUST READ: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- New York, NY – Queen Latifah and Chris Noth seen filming a scene for their TV series, “The Equalizer” in midtown today. Pictured: Queen Latifah, Chris Noth BACKGRID USA 18 NOVEMBER 2020 BYLINE MUST READ: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
This was a lame ass comment from her. If she wanted to go for non committal that makes it almost worse. She could have at least made a definitive statement in support of the women who’ve experienced abuse at his hands.
It’s 2022. I don’t have time or energy for this kind of cringe – by now people should understand how to make an appropriate statement or keep their mouths entirely shut in the matter.
Or: it’s 2022. Let’s just stop making women answer for these terrible men.
(Also: I love that this article is tagged “Queen Elizabeth II”. Quite right – Latifah is THE queen!)
*WAS tagged! I see it’s been corrected – damn!
Lady Baden-Baden said: Or: it’s 2022. Let’s just stop making women answer for these terrible men.
Exactly, I agree. She said that justice has to prevail. What else she personally should do to not be criticized? Incarcerate Noth in her basement?
Yeah, I’m so sick of this tendency to try to find any woman in the orbit of an abusive man and make them some sort of spokesperson for said man or cause, or to put them on the spot to condemn their co-worker of several years. This isn’t Queen Latifah’s issue. Media needs to stop with this sexist bs.
She’s the Exec Producer on The Equalizer and he was fired. She had the authority to keep him on the show and she didn’t. What more needs to be said?
This thing where co stars especially females ones are expected to comment/condemn in these situations bothers me. Most of the time they don’t full blown condemn the actions we get the type of statement Queeen Latifah just gave so what’s even the point to keep asking ?
But why should she get into the middle of it? Why does a person need to be dragged into an issue that doesn’t involve them and then be forced to comment because the press said so, or because the fans said so? Just because the press poses the question, it doesn’t mean that people have to willfully submit to the request. It shouldn’t be expected of her; she is of no value to the situation and she doesn’t need to be rallied into it to provide her insight.
Read my first sentence
But she’s not the co-star, is she? She *the* star and also an executive producer. And the star of the show is a kind of leader for the cast. So, I don’t think it’s out of line for people to ask for her opinion.
She found out, she fired him. That’s it. People act like just because you work with someone you KNOW them or have some hint of what they do behind closed doors. If a subordinate at your job did something not work related and got arrested, should people hold you responsible or expect you to say/ do something about it aside from firing them if that is what was called for?
@MelOn – Noth did do something “work-related,” in that he’s an actor who has been a dangerous predator in the workplace – and it looks like QL accepted the responsibility and fired him (or was part of that decision). The reason he got away with it for so long is that people were either afraid to speak up, or they were part of the problem. Now that it’s in the open, people want to talk about it – which makes total sense in an industry that relies on celebrities and media. So, yes, she has to answer questions because she’s a boss, not because she’s a woman. Whether we like the answers or not is another story. I haven’t paid attention to Noth since he was drop kicked, maybe he’s filed a suit against the show and network – in which case, she would have to be careful about her public statements.
You seem to be bending over backwards to somehow make this her responsibility. Why?
@Veronica Rhodes – No, I’m giving QL the respect she should have as the star and an executive producer of the show. She’s not responsible for Noth’s actions or for explaining his actions and she’s not some random female trotted out for PR purposes. She has a responsibility to the people who work for the show and it looks like she and the other producers made the decision to protect their people, to protect the show’s image and to send a message that Noth’s actions are unacceptable. That’s what we expect from bosses, to make the right decisions.
He didn’t do anything “work related”. He did these things on his own time years ago. Even if he did it while working on the Equalizer, he didn’t do it on set. You folks are also misguided that a star getting an Exec Producer credit means that they’re involved in everything , some are , most aren’t , most ask for the credit because they get more money and a little bit more control when they wish to exert it. He was fired, she doesn’t need to make comments about an ongoing investigation that has nothing to do with her or her show. Stop with the ridiculous self-righteousness.
Because, at least in the specific case of The Equalizer, Queen Latifah isn’t merely a co-star but an Executive Producer. She was bound to be asked about it.
She…could have put that better.
Yeah, I am over asking women about the bad things men do period. He was fired from her show, that’s all the statement this situation needs from her.
And as if a black, gay woman needs to say anything about the shit this privileged white dude has been pulling for decades. She worked with him for a year and suddenly she’s the spokesperson for his crimes?
No.
Well put!
This comment is a thing of beauty. Thank you.
Amen!!
This. x1000.
Great comment! Plus, we need investigations and trials.
+1
Let the church say: Amen!
“This irritated me: ‘That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.’”
It irritated me as well. Rape is a way more than a personal thing.
It’s a public matter that involves society, communities, cities, the whole goddamn country.
It’s a world wide issue for crying out loud!!!
You know what? Scratch that. I’m not irritated. I’m pissed off. I need to punch something now.
Given the fact that most Black Americans’ history leads back to white men raping someone somewhere, I’m sure Queen Latifah is aware of both the personal and societal impact. And it’s still not her responsibility to answer for this particular white man’s history of rape. She fired him and said that justice must prevail. The rest is for HIM to answer to.
But it is a personal thing he needs to deal with. He’s been accused. Not convicted. Its not her job to give a condemnation of rape and accused rape.
She could have handled that a lot better, but really there’s no need for her to have to speak on it at all. He’s been accused of terrible things, that she had nothing to do with, and they promptly fired him. The show’s actions speak for themselves.
Where’s the interview with his MALE co-stars?
Excellent point! And not just with Noth, but every time one of these scumbags is revealed, everyone runs to ask the women.
Right, like the only the women see these horrific crimes committed, whereas in reality it’s the male counterparts of their work force that have possibly heard the stories. So called, locker room talk. That statement makes me want to puke. 🤢
Yes rape is very very serious and a societal issue that hasn’t been dealt with well ever.
But it’s not Queen Latifah’s responsibility to comment and condemn. She was asked a question and she pretty much said this doesn’t involve me, this is his problem. He no longer works here. End of.
I’m waiting for an interview with Dick Wolf about his upcoming reboot of the original Law and Order (long ago and far away Chris Noth was in as a principal) and his other franchises but instead have to focus on Chris Noth. Or have the entire interview boiled down to his opinion on Chris Noth for soundbites. I know I’ll be waiting for a long time.
When will we stop asking women who work with garbage men to take responsibility for them?
To me, “personal” = these are HIS crimes that HE has to answer for and “justice has to prevail” = his priority should be the criminal complaints he’s now facing.
Her statement essentially says he did this to himself and we’ll go on in the best way for this production in the meantime.
I don’t understand why we’re mad at her for refusing to take accountability for his assaults.
Well said! I live for the day we realize this pattern of holding women to account when men behave appallingly is misogynistic. It irritates me to no end seeing feminists display this backwards kind of thinking.
Leave Queen Latifah alone. She said the exactly correct thing. You guys seem to want her to end up on the end of a defamation suit over an issue she has no connection to or control over before you’ll accept she’s good. She shouldn’t have had to answer the question to begin with. She fired him once she found out, and hasn’t questioned the integrity of his accusers. She’s called for justice ON TOP of already firing him. And yes, it is personal. It’s between him, his victims, and any civil or criminal authorities who may hear a case. It is not a public matter, per se.
100% agree with you.
She said the right thing . She is not responsible for his behavior, he was fired immediately . That’s all she needed to do, can we quit with this expectation that women have to “do” something when someone else behaves badly. Why does she have to get herself involved or say more about something that has nothing to do with her?
Look I understand the desire to know what his co-stars think. I think it’s partially morbid curiosity as well a desire to see him condemned. But at the end of the day he no longer works at Queen Latifah’s show. Firing him speaks louder than words.
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I don’t see anything wrong with her statement personally. He’s a white straight cis dude. She’s a black lesbian. If we’re going to critique her then we need to acknowledge that we live in a racist & lesbophobic society. So anything she says on the topic can be weaponised against her without it negatively impacting Noth.
I also agree with other commenters that don’t think she have been asked.
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I understand that some actors are activists and that’s awesome! But not all actors are and even if they are, they shouldn’t be required to offer detailed critiques of rape culture. Statistically speaking a lot of womxn are survivors and lot of people have a loved one that is a survivor. It’s a potentially distressing topic. I don’t see why actors should be expected to discuss to it. (Unless they feel comfortable doing so).
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If she kept him on the show or rehired him I’d think differently. But Queen Latifah fired him so why does she need to discuss this when she did nothing wrong?
As an executive producer, can she actually give the answer everyone wants to hear? (“He’s a bad bad man who deserves to rot in prison!!” In this instance, I figured she doesn’t want to be sued by him by if she says anything that his legal team could construe as “damaging” his reputation.
Whenever someone answers with a certain amount of diplomacy but also implies they think the person is guilty without outright saying it, I assume it’s because of legalities.
As an employment lawyer, I’m surprised she gave this much of an answer. He has not been convicted of anything and the charges against him weren’t from women working on that show yet the producers fired him any way based on the allegations. They took a chance and could face litigation because of it. She doesn’t want to say anything that could strengthen his case against the show and network. Queen Latifah and Sarah Jessica Parker aren’t responsible for the crimes and bad acts of Chris Noth, only he is. And they shouldn’t be expected to answer for him.
@ Lightpurple, then why is SJP, and then Nixon and Davis coming out with comments? They have no impact or are on the producers point of view? When Nixon and Davis made that statement last week, what TF was that for? No one asked them, or maybe they did or they felt that they needed to stick their noses in his business. But hearing from those two made no sense to me at all.
Why tf is it on Queen Latifah to make a comment about Chris Noth? What is she supposed to say?! She is not his maid or nanny! Once again there is this underlying assumption that a Black woman needs to clean up after a white man or bear some responsibility for his problems. She didn’t do anything — the media needs to leave her alone.
I don’t think rape is a personal matter per se. Crimes are obviously public matters — but, it looks like what she meant was that she was not involved and her show was not involved. He has been fired. She obviously doesn’t want to go out on a limb to support him nor should she have to.
I actually kind of like, “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with,” because on no f**king planet should she have to be answering for that. He done f-ed up and yeah, he’s going to have to deal with it. It’s the “justice has to prevail regardless” that rubbed me a bit wrong. Yeah “regardless,” but that would be a great spot to insert something about the accusations being credible or supporting the women.
But basically, whatever. There’s no way to really get this kind of statement right and we’re all going to sit here and parse it, whatever she had said.
Instead of interviewing women about abusive men, I’d like to see more men being asked about abusive men. Ask them the same questions women get asked. Ask them what they are doing to make acting sets a safe place for women.
To those criticizing Queen Latifah, let me remind you she straight up fired him based on allegations alone. No administrative leave with pay until an investigation concludes No internal review. She is taking a huge risk because if these allegations end up going nowhere or fail a judicial conclusion, Noth can sue for wrongful termination. So step off the Queen’s business because she handled hers.
Thank you!
Do they ever ask MALE colleagues their opinions on these kind of things??
++ Firing him was the only statement she needed to make and that’s what was done.
I don’t have a problem with this at all. It *is* a problem HE has to deal with. It’s not HER problem – he’s fired. She hopes justice prevails. What else is she supposed to say? It’s problematic to keep expecting women who have worked with men who are later exposed to be abusers to somehow answer for their crimes. It must get exhausting for them to be criticized for not saying the “right” words to make everyone happy over a situation they had nothing to do with. Noth needs to answer for his actions, not Queen Latifah or any other woman who’s ever worked with him.
The only statements and comments people need to analyze and dissect are his. These are his crimes and his mess, not anyone else’s. Stop dragging unrelated people he’s worked with into this.