NEWSStunning New 'Buffy' Claims: Michelle Trachtenberg Says Joss Whedon Was 'Not Allowed In A Room Alone With Her'
In light of recent claims made by several women against Joss Whedon, Michelle Trachtenberg — who played Dawn Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000-2003 — shared a statement regarding the series' creator after costar Sarah Michelle Gellar recently came forward.
On Thursday, February 11, Trachtenberg took to Instagram and claimed there was a rule on the Buffy set that Whedon, 56, wasn't allowed to be alone with her after an unnamed incident. She didn't go into detail about what led to the alleged rule, or who enacted it.
"The last. Comment I will make on this. Was. There was a rule. Saying. He's not allowed in a room alone with Michelle again," she captioned her post.
The Gossip Girl alum's cryptic allegations came after Gellar came forward and said she didn't want to be associated with Whedon and that she stands with the brave survivors who are speaking out against him.
“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,” Gellar shared in an Instagram post. "I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.”
Trachtenberg, 35, re-posted Gellar's statement to her respective Instagram account and thanked her for coming forward.
"I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman....To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior....very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did," Trachtenberg captioned her post before revealing the alleged workplace rule on the Buffy set.
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Gellar first spoke out about Whedon's alleged toxic workplace abuse after Charisma Carpenter claimed Whedon "abused his power on numerous occasions while working on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel."
Carpenter, 50 — who played Cordelia Chase — shared a lengthy statement to Instagram on Wednesday, February 10, where she claimed Whedon "created hostile and toxic work environments since his early career."
She went on to describe one time when Whedon allegedly asked if she was "going to keep" her baby after learning about her pregnancy while the show was filming. "He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth," she claimed.
According to Carpenter, Whedon would also "callously" call her "fat" to colleagues when she was four months pregnant and weighed 126 lbs.
Carpenter decided to speak out about Whedon's alleged mistreatment on set after Ray Fisher accused him of being "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" while they worked together in 2017 on Justice League. Following the claims Fisher made last year, WarnerMedia launched an internal investigation, which Carpenter participated in.
The investigation concluded last December and the company reported that "remedial action has been taken."
After Carpenter came forward about the "certain events that traumatize me to this day," Fisher, 33, thanked her for her bravery and support via Twitter. "I am forever grateful for her courage and for her lending her voice to the Justice League investigation," he wrote. "Read her truth. Share her truth. Protect her at all costs."
