The Hollywood executive who groped Terry Crews is now on leave

The Hollywood Purge of 2017 continues.

Amid a deluge of disturbing revelations about Hollywood heavyweights’ ritualistic sexual harassment of women and men both in front of and behind the camera, a top Hollywood executive accused of groping actor Terry Crews has been placed on leave.

Back in October, in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, Crews revealed via Twitter that he, too, has experienced unwanted sexual advances and touching at the hands of an unnamed Hollywood executive. This week, reports identified Crews’s perpetrator as Adam Venit, the head of the motion pictures department at powerhouse talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME). Venit reps Hollywood fan favorites like actresses Emma Stone and Diane Keatonm as well as comedian Adam Sandler, but does not count Crews as one of his clients. WME placed Venit on leave yesterday, pending an investigation.

According to Crews, the assault occurred at Hollywood function attended by the Brooklyn-Nine-Nine actor and his wife last year.

“This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME,” Crews tweeted in October. He went on to reveal a “high level Hollywood executive“, later identified as Venit, approached him and groped his “privates.”

In the same Twitter thread, Terry Crews remembered he thought twice about how the whole thing would appear at the time.

“’240 lbs. Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho’ would be the headline the next day,” tweeted Crews. “I decided not 2 take it further becuz I didn’t want 2b ostracized. I let it go. And I understand why many women who this happens to let it go.”

Like Terry Crews, many survivors of workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault hesitate to come forward.

The fear professional reprisal, personal attacks, and public shaming can keep many form telling their stories. In fact, the United States Equal Employment Commission estimates that a whopping 75% of all workplace harassment incidents go unreported.

For now, we’re grateful to Crews for sharing his experience. We hope his story inspires people of influence across industries to bring other sexual predators like Venit to justice.

“Hollywood is not the only business we’re this happens,” Crews pointed out, “and to the casualties of this behavior— you are not alone.”