After Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel actress Charisma Carpenter publicly accused creator Joss Whedon of “abusing his power” and creating a toxic work environment that led to Carpenter being “berated” and fat-shamed for getting pregnant, Sarah Michelle Gellar has offered her support to her Buffy co-star and any others who have come forward with allegations of abuse while working on the show and its spinoff. Via Gellar’s Instagram:
While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon. I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time. But I stand with all survivors and am proud of them for speaking out.
You can see Gellar’s Instagram post below:
Following Carpenter’s statement on Wednesday, other actresses have come forward with accusations against Whedon. Amber Benson, who played Tara on Buffy, tweeted that “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top” while backing up Carpenter’s allegations.
Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later. #IStandWithRayFisher #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter https://t.co/WJAmDGm76C
— Amber Benson (@amber_benson) February 10, 2021
Clare Kramer, who played the villain Glory in Season 5, also tweeted her support for Carpenter and wrote “a lot of this industry needs a reset.”
For what it’s worth, I believe and stand with @allcharisma, @ray8fisher, @amber_benson and others who have the strength to come forward with their truth. A lot of this industry needs a reset….. #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter #IStandWithRayFisher
— Clare Kramer (@ClareKramer) February 10, 2021
On Instagram, Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s young sister Dawn, reposted Gellar’s statement and accused Whedon of being inappropriate while Trachtenberg was still a teenager. “I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman…. To repost this,” Trachtenburg wrote. “Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate.”