In an emotional Facebook post written late Monday night, Los Angeles-based actress Kristina Cohen claimed that Ed Westwick, of Gossip Girl fame, raped her more than three years ago at his apartment.
Per Cohen’s story, which was first reported by Buzzfeed, she was dating a producer who was friends with Westwick; the producer brought her up to Westwick’s apartment, she says. Here’s what she wrote:
I wanted to leave when Ed suggested “we should all fuck”. But the producer didn’t want to make Ed feel awkward by leaving. Ed insisted we stay for dinner. I said I was tired and wanted to leave, trying to get out of what was already an uncomfortable situation. Ed suggested I nap in the guest bedroom. The producer said we would stay for just another 20 more minutes to smooth everything over, and then we could leave.
So I went and laid down in the guest room where I eventually fell asleep, I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body. I told him to stop, but he was strong. I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to fuck me. I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me.
It was a nightmare, and the days following weren’t any better.
Cohen claims that after the incident, the producer she was dating placed the blame on her, saying that she was an “active participant” and that for her to share what had happened would be detrimental to her career. Cohen intimated that part of the reason she finally came forward is because of the multitudes of women breaking their silence on their own stories of sexual harassment or assault at the hands of powerful men.
“I hope my coming forward will help others to know that they are not alone, that they are not to blame, and it is not their fault,” she wrote.” Just as the other women and men coming forward have helped me to realize the same. I hope that my stories and the stories of others help to reset and realign the toxic environments and power imbalances that have created these monsters.”
On Tuesday, Ed Westwick posted the following on Twitter and Instagram, an apparent response to Cohen’s allegations: