Charisma Carpenter Detailed How Joss Whedon was Abusive On ‘Buffy’ Set, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Others Confirm Her Story
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a pop-culture phenomenon in the late 90s that, combined with the later canceled-too-soon cult classic Firefly made Joss Whedon the golden boy of nerd culture. These days, however, people cannot distance themselves from him fast enough.
If you hadn’t heard, Whedon was investigated and subject to undisclosed punitive action for his behavior on the set of Justice League; we’re pretty certain he got fired from his upcoming show The Nevers but Warner has kept all the details of the incident under pretty tight wraps.
Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordellia Chase on Buffy and its spin-off Angel, laid out some specific allegations on Twitter that make Joss Whedon look like a real dick, if not downright abusive.
— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021
Kevin Smith had previously mentioned he had heard rumors about Whedon’s demeaning attitude towards the cast of Justice League, essentially arriving with a chip on his shoulder and telling everyone he was the savior of the terrible work they had all done up to that point; it’s important to note that Whedon was brought on because Zack Snyder’s 20-year-old daughter Autumn had just died.
Carpenter’s allegations against Whedon are in line with the behavior Kevin Smith had heard about; it’s what your HR rep might call “creating a hostile work environment.”
Here are some of the specific allegations Carpenter made in her tweet.
- He called her fat during her pregnancy.
- He pitted people against each other.
- He mocked her religion and accused of her sabotaging the show for getting pregnant.
- He scheduled her for a 1 AM call time when her doctor recommended a reduced shooting schedule for her.
A lot of it sounds centered on her getting pregnant, and she was fired the next season. And I know what you’re thinking, that’s just her experience with him. Buffy stars are coming out of the woodwork to support Carpenter’s claim, including Buffy Summers herself.
Sarah Michelle Gellar posted to Instagram saying that while she won’t be making any further statements, she “stands with all survivors of abuse” and is “proud of them for speaking out.”
She also said that she’s proud to have her name associated with Buffy Summers but doesn’t want to be forever associated with Joss Whedon.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s sister Dawn Summers, also said Whedon’s behavior was inappropriate in her own Instagram post.
Amber Benson, who played Willow’s love interest Tara, also added to the chorus of former stars speaking out, specifically saying Charisma Carpenter is “speaking the truth.”
Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%. There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later. #IStandWithRayFisher #IStandWithCharismaCarpenter https://t.co/WJAmDGm76C
— Amber Benson (@amber_benson) February 10, 2021
So I don’t really know what this means for Joss Whedon’s future. Judging from Age of Ultron and Justice League we won’t be missing out on much if he never works again, that gas tank is on empty these days.
Maybe that’s not fair, but, well, ask Charisma Carpenter what happens in Hollywood when someone tells people you’re “difficult to work with.” I think Whedon sounds pretty difficult to work with.
