This morning, Charisma Carpenter posted a letter to Instagram detailing the toxic and abusive behavior she endured from producer Joss Whedon.
Carpenter played Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel in the late 90s and early 2000s. Whedon served as creator/showrunner for both series.
While Whedon’s on-set behavior has now been questioned for a while, a recent campaign spearheaded by Justice League actor Ray Fisher has worked to expose Whedon’s actions to the public. Carpenter said she viewed Fisher’s experience as further evidence of Whedon acting “casually cruel” and wanted to share her own story in solidarity. She posted the below letter with the hashtag #IStandWithRayFisher.
“He was mean and biting, disparaging about others openly, and often played favorites, pitting people against one another to compete and vie for his attention and approval,” Carpenter’s post reads in part.
She details Whedon’s reaction to her pregnancy, which included calling her fat to her colleagues and summoning her to set at 1am after Carpenter’s doctor recommended shortening her work hours.
“He proceeded to attack my character, mock my religious beliefs, accuse me of sabotaging the show, and then unceremoniously fired me the following season once I gave birth,” the post describes.
Carpenter notes she took part in WarnerMedia’s investigation into Whedon.
“Recently I participated in WarnerMedia’s Justice League investigation because I believe Ray to be a person of integrity who is telling the truth. His firing as Cyborg in The Flash was the last straw for me. Although I am not shocked, I am deeply pained by it. It troubles and saddens me that in 2021 professionals STILL have to choose between whistleblowing in the workplace and job security.”
Since Carpenter’s post, fans have been asking fellow Buffy alum Sarah Michelle Gellar to weigh in on Whedon. Gellar posted a short response stating she stands with survivors of abuse, but she doesn’t want to forever be associated with the name Joss Whedon.
Representatives for Whedon have not yet commented.