Winnie the Pooh voice actor Jim Cummings has been accused of rape and animal abuse. Throughout a career that has spanned well over thirty years, Cummings has managed to become one of the most successful and busy voice actors currently working for the steadily growing Walt Disney corporation.
Known primarily as the voice of Winnie the Pooh - who he voiced most recently in 2018’s Christopher Robin - Cummings, who also supplies the voice of Tigger, has been involved with the Winnie the Pooh franchise since 1988. But aside from these familiar voices, Cummings has been the man behind a wide array of well known animated characters over the years, including: Darkwing Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Hondo Ohnaka, Shredder in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and even the voice of the oldest continuing Disney character, Pete. In short, whether Disney fans are aware of it or not, there’s a strong likelihood that Cummings has played a large role in their entertainment for years.
Unfortunately, Cummings’ legacy as a memorable part of many people’s childhoods is now taking a very dark and unwelcome turn. According to The Blast, Cummings, who is currently locked into a heated divorce battle with ex-wife Stephanie over support payments and custody of their two children, is now facing allegations of rape, sexual assault, substance abuse, and animal abuse. The claims have been made by his ex-wife, and Cummings denies almost everything that he’s been accused of.
In legal documents that address the specific accusations and grievances, his Stephanie has stated that on numerous occasions, Cummings has made lewd and inappropriate comments toward her in front of their young children, forced himself upon her in front of the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, groped and touched her without consent, and raped her. Cummings is also accused of taking the couple’s puppy and leaving it beneath a metal bucket, outside, on a 100-degree day. In addition to this, Stephanie alleges that Cummings once hit the puppy so hard with a broom that it shattered the young dog’s hip, necessitating surgery. Cummings does not deny leaving the dog outside under a bucket after it had urinated in the house, but claims that it was a technique told to him by a veterinarian and that he “forgot” the dog was under the bucket, but returned to free it as soon as he remembered.
What is immediately clear when considering this story is that both Cummings and his ex-wife are currently in a very heated and extensive courtroom battle. That’s not to say that any of the claims levied against Cummings are false, however, only that for many Disney and Winnie the Pooh fans out there, this is going to be yet another troubling case that Hollywood seems to be seeing much of as of late. One can only hope that justice prevails, but as things look right now, it seems that the morality of a man who has brought joy to so many is deeply in question.
Source: The Blast