Gal Gadot Is the Latest to Accuse Joss Whedon of Being Abusive On Set

Update, May 10th, 2021: Earlier this year, Charisma Carpenter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame opened up about the show’s creator Joss Whedon abusing her on set. She was responding to a June 2020 tweet from Justice League star Ray Fisher, who accused Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” treatment of cast and crew on the Justice League set, and now his costar Gal Gadot is backing up those claims nearly a year later.

An April Hollywood Reporter piece included statements from Fisher and other Justice League insiders who recalled Gadot, who played Wonder Woman, and Whedon sparring over rewrites and reshoots. One witness even claimed that Whedon threatened to damage Gadot’s career and said he has the power to make her look “incredibly stupid.”

Though she provided a minor statement to THR in April, she has now come forward and outwardly confirmed these abuse allegations.

In speaking to Israel’s N12 News, Gadot said, “What I had with Joss basically is that he kind of threatened my career and said if I did something he would make my career miserable.” However, she noted, “I handled it on the spot.”

The prior THR article stated that Gadot and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins went to Warner Brothers’ chairman Kevin Tsujihara with their concerns about Whedon’s behavior, and Gadot confirmed that “Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner.”

No further details about the incident between Gadot and Whedon have been made public, nor has Whedon commented on any of the on-set abuse allegations made thus far.

Update, February 16th, 2021: David Boreanaz, who starred alongside Charisma Carpenter in both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, took to Twitter on February 14th to show his support. Last week, Carpenter accused the shows’ creator Joss Whedon of abuse on set, highlighting a toxic work environment. A handful of her co-stars have come forward to show their support, including Boreanaz.

He wrote on Twitter, “I am here for you to listen and support you. Proud of your strength,” alongside a heart emoji and a prayer hands emoji. Carpenter replied back to him saying she appreciated all his support, noting that he’d done more in private as well to show that he has her back.

Original story, February 10th, 2021: Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Charisma Carpenter shared a candid two-part statement on Twitter today alleging the show’s creator Joss Whedon was abusive to her on set. In her statement, Carpenter recalled multiple instances on the sets of both Buffy and Angel, where she played the role of Cordelia.

Her statement, which she captioned “My truth,” began, “Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers.”

Carpenter went on to describe specific experiences related to her pregnancy. She said Whedon called her “fat” when she was four months pregnant, despite being only 126 pounds. “He was mean and biting, disparaging about others openly, and often played favorites, pitting people against one another to compete and vie for his attention and approval.”

Carpenter’s character was unceremoniously killed off in the season after she gave birth in real life, which she attributes to Whedon’s retaliation toward her for getting pregnant in the first place.

“At six months pregnant, I was asked to report to work at 1:00 AM after my doctor recommended shortening my work hours. Due to long and physically demanding days and the emotional stress of having to defend my needs as a working pregnant woman, I began to experience Braxton Hicks contractions. It was clear to me the 1:00 AM call was retaliatory.”

She alleged he berated her for her religion and womanhood and accused her of sabotaging the show before eventually firing her.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who starred as the titular character in Buffy, shared an Instagram post standing with Carpenter, writing that while she’s proud to be associated with Buffy Summers, she does not want to be associated with Whedon. She added that she stands with all survivors of abuse and she’s proud of them for speaking out.

In addition to Gellar, fellow Buffy star Michelle Trachtenberg also shared sentiments of her own. She reposted Gellar’s Instagram to her own page with the prayer hands emoji. Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn, wrote in the caption of her post, “Thank you @sarahmgellar for saying this. 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.”

As of now, Whedon has not responded to Carpenter’s accusations, according to BuzzFeed News, who reached out for a comment. Carpenter’s allegations come on the heels of Ray Fisher’s own accusations of abuse last year. Fisher alleged Whedon was abusive and inappropriate on the set of Justice League, according to Variety. Carpenter tagged Fisher in her own statement today and mentioned his allegations, noting that Whedon has a history of being “casually cruel.”

Carpenter ended her statement by saying she was afraid to disclose all this information but she knew she needed to. “This is overdue and necessary. It is time.”