2017 Teen Choice Awards â Arrivals â Los Angeles, California, U.S., 13/08/2017 - Actress and singer Melissa Benoist. REUTERS/Mike Blake - HP1ED8E00E65Q
“Supergirl” star Melissa Benoist is speaking out in light of sexual harassment allegations against her show’s executive producer.
Her comments come days after showrunner Andrew Kreisberg — who also handles other popular CW network superhero shows like “The Flash,” “Arrow” and DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow” — was suspended when more than a dozen people accused him of acting like a super creep at work, including kissing women without their consent and requesting massages.
“I am a woman who leads a show that supports equality and feminism, empowerment, and fighting for what is right. I have always tried to conduct myself this way personally, as well,” Benoist tweeted Sunday night.
“Sadly, the show and my career are a part of an industry that doesn’t always mirror these sentiments.”
The former “Glee” actress didn’t mention Kreisberg by name, but suggested that she has her whistle-blowing colleagues’ backs.
“I believe lasting change is possible, and when people are mistreated, they should have a safe forum to speak their truth and always be heard. And when people commit crimes or harass others, they should always be held accountable — no matter what industry they work in or how much power they wield,” she wrote.
“I’ve spoken up about it in the past — publicly and not so publicly — and I’ll continue to do so. All of us should, without fear or shame.”
“Arrow” actress Emily Bett Rickards issued a similar statement on social media.
“To the men who committed sexual harassment, who perpetuated rape culture, who turn a ‘blind eye,’ and complain about ‘reverse sexism’: You are weak and complicit,” she tweeted.
“To the women who found the strength to speak up, to the women who supported one another and to the women finding their voice: You can. You are heroines.”
Some 19 people accused Kreisberg of inappropriate behavior while working on the show in a Variety article published Friday.
Staffers say he hired women based on looks, and then made creepy moves on them.
“Wow, you look so tired that I don’t even want to have sex with you anymore,” he allegedly told one woman.
Another says he told her to lie on the floor of his office while he did “a push-up stance” over her, and that he once mimed having sex with a photocopier.
“It was an environment in which women — assistants, writers, executives, directors — were all evaluated based on their bodies, not on their work,” one writer told the outlet.
Kreisberg denied all the allegations to Variety.
This article originally appeared in Page Six.
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