Music icon Bob Dylan accused of sexual assault: See other male celebs who have been accused of such

World-renowned singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has been sued for allegedly sexually abusing a girl over 55-years-ago, Rolling Stone reports. The suit claims that he abused the then 12-year-old girl, known only as “J.C.”, between April and May 1965. “[He] exploited his status as a musician by grooming J.C. to gain her trust and to obtain control over her as part of his plan to sexually molest and abuse J.C.,” part of the suit claimed.

Sexual crimes are some of the worst offences in human existence. Arguably, they inflict the most psychological and emotional damage on victims. Even worse is the way these crimes are handled. For the longest time, a victim of sexual crimes was saddled with the burden of shame. Thanks to time and exposure, this is no longer the case, but even at that, many victims still suffer in silence. Perpetrators of these distasteful crimes deserve nothing short of due punishment and the full wrath of the law.

In today’s world, due to the mind shift and progress people have made on many fronts, especially with regards to justice for sexual crimes, victims have more courage to speak up and pursue redress. In fact, it has become a trend for victims, who have for many reasons been silent, to now come out to speak their truths and demand justice.

Celebrities don’t commit crimes any more than the everyday Joes in town. Still, of course, because their lives are constantly under so much scrutiny, cases of sexual offences involving them often become news sensations. In this article, we will sift through a number of male celebs who have been accused of sexual assaults in recent times. Keep reading to see if your fav is one of them.

Justin Bieber

During the 2020 lockdown in June, Justin Bieber was accused of sexual assault by Danielle. She took to Twitter and accused Bieber of sexually assaulting her in an Austin, Texas, hotel room in March 2014. It was soon revealed to be fake as Bieber took swift action, posting evidence from his time in Austin that March. Based on the evidence, Bieber stated the claim was “factually impossible” and announced that he would take legal action. Danielle’s tweets have since been deleted.

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Anthony Anderson

Comedian and Black-ish star Anthony Anderson was accused of sexual assault some years ago. The sexual assault accusation was made by a caterer who used to work for him. However, the caterer declined to answer questions for investigators, and the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. It must be noted that this wasn’t the first time Anderson had been so accused. In 2004, he was also accused of rape when filming the movie “Hustle & Flow”, but the case was also dismissed.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Fan favourite Cuba Gooding Jr. faced charges of unwanted sexual contact from three different women between 2018 and 2019. Nearly two dozen women in total came out to make similar accusations against him. According to several sources, the accusations against Gooding date back to as far back as 2003.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese national and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo faced rape accusations after an incident in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. Although a prosecution never took place, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner admitted to paying his accuser $375,000 in a settlement – in exchange for a confidentiality agreement. In 2018 however, in an attempt to void the earlier settlement, the accuser filed a lawsuit against Ronaldo. The football icon maintains that his interactions with the accuser were consensual.

Also read: Why Britney Spears has been posting her topless photos.

Ryan Seacrest

Ryan is undoubtedly one of the most famous on-air personalities in Hollywood. In 2018, he was accused of sexual misconduct for an incident involving his former stylist. According to the accuser, there was ongoing “unwanted sexual aggression” over several years. Seacrest somehow one-uped the media by coming out first to say that he was wrongly accused of sexual harassment, even before his accuser went public. In the chat with The Hollywood Reporter, he went further to voice his support for the “#Me Too” movement.

Martin Lawrence

Some decades ago, comedy icon and actor Martin Lawrence was sued for sexual harassment by Tisha Campbell, his co-star in the hit sitcom “Martin”. The lawsuit claimed that Campbell, who played Gina in the sitcom, experienced ongoing “sexual harassment, sexual battery, verbal abuse and related threats” from Lawrence. Campbell ended up leaving the show, and so did Martin. Both parties eventually settled the case out of court, and no more was heard of it.

Ed Westwick

You might know him as Chuck Bass in the popular TV series “Gossip Girl”. Though he was never charged, Westwick was accused of rape by two different women and of sexual assault by a third woman in Los Angeles. According to prosecutors in the case, there was not enough evidence to charge him. His first accuser originally came forward in a Facebook post describing the incident, which prompted the additional accusers to come forward with their own stories.

James Franco

This might hurt to hear for lovers of the talented actor, producer, and director, James Franco. He has been accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour multiple times by various women. In 2018, four former students at Franco’s acting school and one additional woman accused him of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behaviour. James has severally responded by insisting that he did not believe any allegations to be true and that he always accepts responsibility for his actions. His legal team maintains that there is no legal basis for the lawsuit against him.

Read more: See why James Franco is losing old-time friend Seth Rogen.

Ben and Casey Affleck

Some years ago, Ben Affleck was accused of having groped a woman on camera in 2003. Affleck claims he doesn’t remember the incident and that the accusation against him was specifically that he grabbed a woman’s breast during a hug. The actor says he believes the woman and has publicly apologized for the incident, saying that he wants to be “part of the solution.”
His brother, Casey, has been accused of both sexual harassment and verbal abuse by two women who worked as a cinematographer and a producer on his 2010 film “I’m Still Here”. The women gave many accounts of inappropriate behaviour against them and other crew members while they were filming. The issue was settled out of court, and Casey has since admitted to being “unprofessional” on set. He blamed the problem on “confusion” caused by the type of film he was attempting to create.

Bob Dylan

Dylan is the most recent in a long list of celebrity culprits. As said earlier, he has been sued for allegedly sexually abusing a girl over 55-years-ago. According to the suit, Dylan gave the girl “alcohol and drugs” during “multiple” sessions in his Manhattan apartment and the city’s Chelsea Hotel. The victim, who is now presumed to be 68, claims she “sustained physical and psychological injuries… and, upon information and belief, some or all of these injuries are of a permanent and lasting nature.”

As Rolling Stone reports, J.C is “seeking compensatory damages for an unspecified amount to be determined by a jury at trial.” A spokesperson for Dylan told Rolling Stone, “the 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.”

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The list is endless. Other familiar names like Asia Argento, Melanie Martinez, Jeremy Piven, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Spacey, Danny Masterson, Neymar Jr. and many more have come up in sexual crimes accusations in recent times. While some of them have been found innocent, some are indeed guilty as accused. It is uncomfortable knowing one lives in a world where people like this exist, who have no decency and control. Facing due punishment is the only deterrent to such behaviours, and one hopes victims keep speaking up.