Actress and comedian Molly Shannon revealed an incident she experienced with the late Gary Coleman on Howard Stern. She said Gary Coleman sexually harassed her the first time she met him.
According to People Shannon had just signed with the Diff’rent Strokes star’s agent and was offered the chance to meet him.
Shannon says she was invited up to Coleman’s penthouse hotel room alongside their shared agent.
But the mood shifted once the agent left Shannon alone with Coleman, she told Stern.
“I think he was like, ‘Sit down [on the bed].’ It was very sweet,” she recalled. “And then he’s, like, tickling me a little. This and that.”
Shannon said that she was “trying to be polite” toward Coleman, pointing out that she was “a virgin” at the time of the incident. But she told Stern Coleman continued to become more aggressive.
“He was relentless,” she continued. “Then, he was like trying to kiss me and get on top and I was like, ‘No, Gary. Stop.’ So, I push him off.
Then, I would get off the bed. Then, he would bounce on the bed. Jump, jump, jump. And wrap himself around me. Then, I would fling him off. And then he got on top of me.
I guess because of his size I didn’t feel physically threatened. But … it was going on and on. Repeating. I would throw him off, he would get back on.”
Shannon continued, “… And then finally, I throw him off. I was really getting out of breath because it was athletic and aerobic.”
“He grabs me onto my leg and I was like [trying to] kick him off,” she said. “And then, I go lock myself in the bathroom and then he sticks his hands under the door. And he’s like, ‘I can see you.'”
Shannon says she eventually “sprinted out” of the room, telling her agent on her way out to “watch” Coleman better.
“I wish I could have stood up for myself more,” she added.
Coleman died in 2010 at 42.
Watch below:
Girl, WTF?
Twitter reactions are mixed:
Like seriously ???? This woman is twice his height & she gone sound like she was scared of him as if he’s as big as terry crews . Is #metoo this desparate ?? https://t.co/D4FfXZn2I3
— ??SPILL THE TEA????? (@SPILLTH23179358) April 14, 2022
and
Molly Shannon is too old to accuse Gary Coleman of such unjustified and incredible allegations. I guess unnecessary allegations turn to be a great profitable talent to our celebrities. It’s immoral and despicable! https://t.co/YDB2o26yxS
— gargar (@gargarhafo) April 14, 2022
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I like Molly Shannon, but I actually knew Gary Coleman, and I don’t know if this is true or not. When I knew him, he hadn’t acted in a while, and he just wanted to not be on display, as celebrities often are. It’s unfortunate this is being brought up after his passing.
— Morgan Talley (@morganjttalley) April 14, 2022
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Yet another “likeable” Hollywood actor who thought it was okay to assault women.https://t.co/LiEQwtpp8q
— Amy Diehl, Ph.D. (@amydiehl) April 14, 2022
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Molly Shannon, the sweet innocent virgin, willingly went to Gary Coleman’s hotel room, (thinks) she was asked to sit on his bed, wrestled with him, didn’t feel threatened because of his size, described the attack as “athletic and aerobic.” What a pathetic attempt to sell a book. pic.twitter.com/TOrfKRe3Im
— Jane Doe (@JaiyneDope) April 14, 2022
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