Multiple women have levelled charges of sexual harassment against stand-up comedian and actor Chris D'Elia, a claim that he has denied. D'Elia's name began trending on social media on Tuesday after many women shared their accounts alleging that he tried to engage with them sexually when some of them were as young as 16 at the time of the alleged encounters.
Many also accused him of sending inappropriate messages to them and attempting to solicit nude photos from them, reported Variety. Dismissing the claims, the actor-comic said all of his relationships have been "legal and consensual". "I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point. "All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me," he said in a statement to TMZ.
D'Elia, known for comedy shows like "Whitney" and "Undateable", apologised for being a "dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle".
"That's MY fault. I own it. I've been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better," he added. He recently starred in the second of Netflix series "You", in which he played the role of a comedian who sexually abuses teenage girls. D'Elia also guest starred in the Comedy Central series "Workaholics" as a paedophile who pursues boys.
