Joss Whedon has denied accusations of verbal abuse towards Charisma Carpenter. Carpenter played Cordelia on Buffy and its spin-off show Angel, both of which Whedon created. Carpenter, along with several others who have worked alongside Whedon, has claimed that he was abusive on set.
In a statement made on Twitter last year, Carpenter accused Whedon of creating "hostile and toxic" work environments and of being "casually cruel." She also stated that after finding out she was pregnant, Whedon had called her "fat" and asked if she "was going to keep it," and made multiple threats to fire her. She also said that she was told to come into work at 1 AM while pregnant. Carpenter was fired shortly after she gave birth, which she described as having the "joy sucked right out" of her experience of being a new mother.
Almost a year after Carpenter's statement, Joss Whedon has denied the accusation that he was verbally abusive towards her. In an interview with Vulture, Whedon said "I did not call her fat" in response to being asked about the accusations. He also stated that “Most of my experiences with Charisma were delightful" as he expressed surprise over the allegations. You can read Whedon's comments regarding Carpenter below:
“I was not mannerly [after learning Charisma was pregnant]. Most of my experiences with Charisma were delightful and charming. She struggled sometimes with her lines, but nobody could hit a punch line harder than her. I did not call her fat. Of course I didn’t.”
Although Whedon has denied calling Carpenter "fat," he has admitted that he was "not mannerly" regarding how he spoke to Carpenter during her pregnancy. Carpenter isn't the only actor to come forward with accusations of abuse against Whedon. Ray Fisher claimed that Whedon's treatment of the cast of Justice League was "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" and opened up about his experiences of racism whilst on set. Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, also claimed Whedon treated her badly on the set of Justice League, accusing him of threatening her and her career. These are not the only claims made against him.
Reception of the interview online has been overwhelmingly negative. Whedon doesn't elaborate further on what he meant when he said he was "not mannerly" in his communications with Carpenter during her pregnancy and admits to yelling on the set of Buffy. It's unclear whether Joss Whedon intends to provide any further information on the situation, but many fans have found his response so far to be unsatisfying.
Source: Vulture