Andrew Callaghan, an independent journalist known for his YouTube shows “All Gas No Brakes” and “Channel 5,” said Thursday that he was “devastated that he is being accused of any type of physical or mental coercion against anyone.”
His statement, released by his legal representative, comes days after two women went viral after posting separate videos on TikTok accusing Callaghan of sexual coercion and sexual assault. The posts made their way to Twitter, YouTube and Reddit, where fans of Callaghan expressed shock and disappointment regarding the allegations.
“Conversations about pressure and consent are extremely important and Andrew wants to have these conversations, so he can continue to learn and grow,” Callaghan’s legal representative said without addressing the specific allegations made in the TikToks.
“Andrew vows to be better in this regard, while reminding his audience that while even one concerned partner is too many, there are always multiple sides to a story,” the representative said. “Andrew is fully committed to working with the appropriate professionals to better understand himself and ways he can grow and improve as a human being, especially with his growing platform and the vulnerabilities it brings.”
Callaghan rose to prominence with “All Gas No Breaks,” in which he interviewed people in fringe communities, including Bigfoot hunters, porn stars and the Proud Boys. The show debuted in the fall of 2019 in partnership with the social media company Doing Things Media. Callaghan later started “Channel 5,” a spinoff YouTube series. YouTube did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
He recently helmed a documentary about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, titled “This Place Rules.” The film, made in collaboration with the production company A24, dropped on HBO Max on Dec. 30. A spokesperson for HBO Max directed NBC News to A24 for comment. A spokesperson for A24 did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The first woman who accused Callaghan of sexual misconduct, Caroline Elise, said in her video that she allowed Callaghan to stay in her home but was “very clear about the fact that we were not hooking up.” Elise alleged that Callaghan got into her bed and kept pushing her until she agreed “to do things I wasn’t proud of.”
“I’ve tried to come to him person-to-person and try to get him to take accountability for what he did, but his version of what happened the night that he assaulted me is so skewed,” Elise said. “So I will tell you that he did eventually get consent, and that’s the main point is that he eventually got consent because he wore me down.”
Elise’s TikTok video received 189,000 views. She declined to comment to NBC News.
“It’s even more hard to have to relive the trauma that I endured every single day by seeing this man as a social justice warrior, as someone who cares about human rights, get a platform,” Elise said in her video. “You shouldn’t be supporting him.”
A second woman, who goes by Dana online, alleged that Callaghan once started touching her without consent while she was driving him home. She alleged that he touched her inner thigh, kissed her neck and tried to put his hand down her pants.
Dana, who did not respond to a request for comment, said that she previously had consensual sex with Callaghan, but that she did not want to have sex with him again.
Her four-part series discussing her alleged experience with Callaghan received over 140,000 views.
On Thursday, comedian Tim Heidecker — who served as a producer on “This Place Rules” — said on his “Office Hours” podcast that he had “no plans” to continue working with Callaghan and that he takes the allegations “very seriously.”
“It’s been a very painful week for us, a very difficult experience to process,” Heidecker said on the podcast, which was livestreamed on his YouTube channel. “Of course, we’re aware of the allegations. We take them very seriously. It’s been very sad and disappointing, to say the least. I just want to clarify a couple things. We have no professional relationship with Andrew at this time and have no plans going forward to have any relationship with him.”
Heidecker did not immediately respond to request for further comment. He emphasized in his remarks that he believes the women who came forward.
“We did produce the movie, and I feel terrible that this film now has these allegations tied to it because some very good people worked very hard on it,” he said of the documentary. “But it’s just a movie, and I want to say we believe these women that came forward and, of course, totally condemn the type of behavior that Andrew’s being accused of.
“I believe it’s up to Andrew to address these allegations and do so openly and honestly. I really hope he does do that as soon as possible.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
