Ed Westwick has denied an allegation that he raped actress Kristina Cohen.
Cohen, 27, claimed in a Facebook post on Monday, November 6, that the Gossip Girl alum, 30, sexually assaulted her at his apartment three years ago. He responded with a statement on Twitter on Tuesday, November 7, writing, “I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape.”
The Eathwalkers actress wrote in her post that she struggled with the decision to come forward with her story, but ultimately decided to share it to help others overcome their own struggles. She alleged that Westwick raped her during her brief relationship with an unnamed producer.
“It was this producer who brought me up to Ed’s house where I met Ed for the first time,” she claimed. “I wanted to leave when Ed suggested ‘we should all f–k.’ 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.”
After Cohen’s boyfriend said they would leave the apartment in 20 minutes, she went to the guest room and fell asleep. “I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body,” she alleged. “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 f–k me. I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me.”
The Los Angeles native claimed that the producer blamed her for the alleged encounter, which she described as a “nightmare,” and pressured her to stay quiet.
“I’m sickened to see men like Ed respected in such a public way,” she wrote. “Interviewed by prestigious platforms such as the Oxford Union Society at Oxford University, where he was honored as one of their ‘People who Shape our World.’ How does this end? Men like Ed using fame and power to rape and intimidate but then continue through the world collecting accolades.”
