Ben Affleck (Image: INQUIRER.net Stock Photo)
After Ben Affleck issued a succinct apology to former MTV VJ Hilarie Burton for groping her in the early 2000s, another woman has come forward with a claim of sexual assault.
Annamarie Tendler, a makeup artist and blogger, shared on Twitter that Affleck grabbed her butt during the 2014 Golden Globes party.
Image: Screen grab via Twitter/@amtendler
Moreover, he was said to have “pressed his finger into my crack.”
Image: Screen grab via Twitter/@amtendler
Image: Screen grab via Twitter/@amtendler
Image: Screen grab via Twitter/@amtendler
“Like most women in these situations I didn’t say anything but I have thought a lot about what I’d say if I ever saw him again.”
Tendler comes forward three years after Ben Affleck allegedly assaulted her sexually, after the actor apologized for groping Hilarie Burton. Image: Instagram/@amtendler
Tendler experiences victim-blaming online
While Tendler, who is married to comedian John Mulaney, received support online, there were detractors labeling her an opportunist.
Mostly male Twitter users said they didn’t believe her or blamed her for not speaking up sooner.
You’re literally trying to get attention during a serious situation. Bravo.
— bobs (@ThatBoyBobs) October 11, 2017
Sooooo why didn’t u say anything years ago 🤦♂️
— Kricket man (@kricketkush) October 11, 2017
Terry Crews, who also opened up about being a victim of sexual assault in public, has spoken about the difficulty of accusing a person in power.
“Who’s going to believe you? (Few). What are the repercussions? (Many). Do you want to work again? (Yes). Are you prepared to be ostracized? (No).”
READ: ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ star Terry Crews claims Hollywood exec sexually assaulted him
Ben Affleck groping caught on camera
Affleck’s groping of Burton was caught on camera in the early 2000s, and was even played off by the show as amusing.
The “One Tree Hill” actress admitted on Twitter that she laughed “so I wouldn’t cry.” She was around 19 or 20 while the “Batman” actor was in his 30s.
After the video surfaced, the actor issued an apology on Twitter. “I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize.”
Affleck’s relationship with Harvey Weinstein
Affleck, a protégé of producer Harvey Weinstein, criticized his mentor for using “his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades.”
Weinstein’s victims, some of whom he has had to settle with, include actresses Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Women who rebuff his advances are said to be threatened or to have movie roles withheld, such as Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette.
READ: Paltrow, Jolie join flood of allegations against Weinstein
However, McGowan claims that Affleck knew about Weinstein’s behavior all along. Following his statement against Weinstein, she called him a “liar.” /ra
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