In a new report among a slew of similar claims, former employees Jeff Pruitt and Sophia Crawford have accused Buffy The Vampire Slayer showrunner Joss Whedon of abusive on set behavior. Crawford and Pruitt - who are now married - initially met and began dating while working on the hit supernatural drama. From seasons 1-4, Crawford acted as stunt double for the series' star Sarah Michelle Geller and Pruitt served as the stunt coordinator.
Adapted from the 1992 movie of the same name, Whedon created and executive produced the show for its entire seven season run (and even helped write and create the Angel spinoff series). Although it originally aired from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, the series has remained popular thanks to syndication and streaming, becoming a modern cult classic in the pop culture canon. In more recent years, Whedon has gone on to direct the first two Avengers films and work on TV shows including Firefly and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He is also set to serve as an executive producer on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot.
Although Whedon has maintained an incredibly successful career in the industry, many of his former employees have been speaking up over the past few years to expose his inappropriate conduct. Most recently, MetroUK reported that Whedon explicitly told Buffy coworkers Crawford and Pruitt that they would have to break up if Crawford wanted to continue working on the show. When they both decided to leave, Whedon "told both [of them] that 'no one will ever hire you again after this,'" Pruitt claimed. "He went from the humble writer who used to turn to me for ways to shoot fight scenes into a real egomaniac."
Crawford and Pruitt are not the only ones to come forward with complaints about Whedon. Just last week, Cyborg actor Ray Fisher slammed Whedon for his abusive behavior on set during Justice League reshoots, claiming in a tweet that Whedon's treatment of the cast and crew was "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable." When Crawford and Pruitt released their statements, Fisher showed support for them via Twitter (below). Apart from Fisher, Buffy and later Angel actress Charisma Carpenter has also revealed that Whedon wrote her character out of the show when she informed the producers of her pregnancy. In addition, film producer and Whedon's ex-wife Kai Cole also wrote an open letter in 2017 claiming that Whedon's interpersonal behavior does not match the feminist persona he touts in Hollywood. Fisher has also tweeted out support for Carpenter and Cole.
As of now, Whedon has yet to issue a comment on any of these claims. Although it's unclear if he specifically will be held accountable for his actions, a clear trend of retribution for past misconduct has recently emerged in the entertainment industry and shows no signs of slowing down. If true, these accusations against Whedon are rapidly multiplying and could permanently damage his otherwise revered and prolific career. It may even effect his role on upcoming projects like the Buffy reboot and TV series The Nevers. Whether or not there is any truth to them, Whedon will inevitably have to answer to the claims.
Source: MetroUK