As Hollywood’s watershed moment of transparency and sexual misconduct continues, actor Anthony Edwards has written a devastating essay accusing writer and producer Gary Goddard of molesting him as a child.
In Edwards’ essay, which he published on Friday morning on Medium under the title “Yes Mom, There is Something Wrong”, he described his mother asking him about rumours of Goddard being a paedophile and initially he denied it through tears.
“To face that truth was not an option as my sense of self was completely enmeshed in my gang of five friends who were all led by this sick father figure,” Edwards wrote.
The ER actor went on to accuse Goddard, whom he called a “mentor, teacher and friend”, of molesting him for years.
A spokesman for Goddard has denied the claims. Sam Singer said in a statement that Goddard was a “mentor, teacher and friend” to Edwards and worked as his personal manager. Singer added Goddard has great respect for the actor, but is saddened by what he called “false allegations”.
In his essay, Edwards also claims that he confronted Goddard about the alleged abuse 22 years ago, during a chance encounter in an airport.
“He swore to his remorse and said that he had gotten help,” Edwards wrote. “I felt a temporary sense of relief.”
Temporary, according to Edwards, because of the rage he felt when Goddard’s name reappeared in headlines several years ago.
This is not the first time Goddard has been hit with sexual abuse accusations.
In 2014, Goddard and X-Men director Bryan Singer were named in lawsuits alleging that they had sexually abused two different teenage boys. Both suits were voluntarily dismissed.
