Bryan Callen, a standup comic and star of ABC’s The Goldbergs has been accused of sexual misconduct and sexual assault by four women according to a Los Angeles Times report published July 31. The 53-year-old is facing a slew of allegations, dating back to 1999, when he allegedly raped a young actor named Katherine Fiore Tigerman. The report also detailed an accusation in which he tried to force himself on a woman, Rachel Green, in an American Apparel fitting room in 2009. The most recent allegation in the report, which is from 2017, was made by fellow comic Tiffany King who alleged that Bryan offered her stage time and money in exchange for sexual favors. Here are 5 things to know about the actor.
1. Bryan has denied all allegations. In a lengthy statement made to our sister site Variety, his representatives vehemently denied all allegations. “Let me be very clear: I have never raped, forced myself upon a woman nor have I offered to trade stage time for sex,” he said. “I know the truth. And I can only hold my head up high, remain true to myself, my family, my audience and know that I will not allow the cancel culture to subvert what I know and as importantly, what these women know, is the truth.” He also denied raping Katherine Fiore in 1999. “As to the woman who claims I raped her 21 years ago: that is demonstrably false. Katherine Fiore and I went on a date. We went to my place. We got intimate and began to have sex at which point she looked at me and said ‘wait, I don’t want to just be a one night stand.’ I immediately stopped and we spoke about her expectations and our 5 year friendship.”
2. He allegedly had a four-year affair while he was married. Along with the allegations made by American Apparel employee Rachel Green and comedian Tiffany King, a fourth woman, Claire Ganshert, claimed she had a sexual relationship with Bryan from 2012 to 2016, when she spoke to the Los Angeles Times. She met the comic in 2012 while working as a barista in New York City, and allegedly began a sexual relationship, which she claims ended in 2016. She told the Los Angeles Times that she was not aware that he was married to Amanda Humphrey at the time — they wed in 2008, however she filed for divorce in February 2020. “I was just a wide-eyed girl starting out in the industry when he swooped in,” she told the Times. “There were these moments that were so intense, where it felt like he was really seeing me for my sexuality and my mouth and my body. Now, I see that for what it was. … I am not a victim but I’m standing up for that 23-year-old girl by saying that a 45-year-old man should have known better.”
3. Bryan is best known for his role on ABC’s The Goldbergs. He portrayed high school gym teacher Rick Mellor on popular sitcom The Goldbergs, and had a more prominent role in its recently-canceled spinoff Schooled. Sources close to the production told our sister site Variety that he would not be appearing in the show’s upcoming eighth season, but his absence was due to plot reasons rather than a response to these allegations.
4. Bryan is pals with comedian Chris D’Elia. These allegations come less than two months after You actor Chris D’Elia was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women on Twitter, who claimed he sent them inappropriate sexual messages when they were underage. Chris has cited Bryan as one of his biggest influences in stand-up comedy, and the pair have been chummy for many years. Bryan even stood by Chris, after sexual misconduct allegations emerged in June, saying in an episode of his podcast “The Fighter and the Kid” that “he’s still a friend.”
5. Comedy heavyweights have spoken out. The report has elicited a reaction from celebs like Amy Schumer who took to Instagram on July 31 to thank the “brave women” for “coming forward and sharing their stories.” She wrote, “You are saving the women who may have come after you. And to the comics who are annoyed with me for standing with these ladies what are you so afraid of?”