Jeremy Piven denies harassment allegations

US actor Jeremy Piven (Entourage, Mr. Selfridge, Wisdom of the Crowd) has denied allegations levelled at him through social media by actress Ariane Bellamar.

In a series of tweets Bellamar suggested Piven groped her on the set of Entourage.

Hey @jeremypiven! ‘Member when you cornered me in your trailer on the #Entourage set? ‘Member grabbing my boobies on the 🛋 without asking??

— Ariane Bellamar (@ArianeBellamar) October 30, 2017

‘Member when I tried to leave; you grabbed me by the ass, looked at yourself in the mirror, & said what a ‘beautiful couple’ we made? #MeToo https://t.co/liD7irs0o0

— Ariane Bellamar (@ArianeBellamar) October 30, 2017

Jeremy Piven, on two occasions, cornered me & forcefully fondled my breasts & bum. Once at the mansion & once on set. #MeToo @AriMelber @CNN https://t.co/liD7irs0o0

— Ariane Bellamar (@ArianeBellamar) October 30, 2017

But Piven has issued a denial.

“I unequivocally deny the appalling allegations being peddled about me. It did not happen,” he said in the statement. “It takes a great deal of courage for victims to come forward with their histories, and my hope is that the allegations about me that didn’t happen, do not detract from stories that should be heard.”

HBO also issued a statement: “Today, via the press reports, is the first we are hearing about Ariane Bellamar’s allegations concerning Jeremy Piven. Everyone at HBO and our productions is aware that zero tolerance for sexual harassment is our policy. Anyone experiencing an unsafe working environment has several avenues for making complaints that we take very seriously.”

Piven is currently starring on the Wisdom of the Crowd. CBS said in a statement, “We are aware of the media reports and are looking into the matter.”

Bellamar appears determined to stick to her version of events.

Wisdom of the Crowd is five episodes into its run in the US. It debuts in Australia this Sunday on TEN.

Source: Hollywood Reporter