Bryan Singer calls sexual abuse report a 'homophobic smear piece'

Director Bryan Singer has called a magazine article containing allegations of sexual assault against him a ‘homophobic smear piece’.

The Bohemian Rhapsody helmsman has been accused by four more men of sexual misconduct when they were underage, the details being alleged in a lengthy report in The Atlantic.

But Singer has rebuked the claims.

“The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997,” he said in a statement (via Deadline).

“After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism. That didn’t stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic.

“It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low standard of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money or attention. And it is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been conveniently timed to take advantage of its success.”

Responding, The Atlantic reaffirmed its fact-checking.

In the article, three men using pseudonyms for fear of reprisals and another, Victor Valdovinos, accused Singer, the director of movies like The Usual Suspects, X-Men and Superman Returns, of rape and molestation.

Valdovinos said that Singer molested him on the set of the movie Apt Pupil, when he was 13.

At the time of the movie’s release, it was subject to a lawsuit, which alleged that Singer forced young actors to strip for a shower scene. The case was later dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

Singer was also targeted with lawsuits alleging sexual assault in 2014 and 2017.

The article’s writers Alex French and Maximillian Potter said that they ‘spent 12 months investigating various lawsuits and allegations against Singer [and] spoke with more than 50 sources, including four men who have never before told their stories to reporters’.

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