Recently, four women came forward accusing actor and musician Jared Leto of sexual misconduct that allegedly occurred when they were teenagers. In response, Leto, who is now 54 years old, issued a statement to the Associated Press, firmly denying these allegations. He stated, “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”
The allegations were detailed in a BBC documentary titled “Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret,” which was released recently. The documentary covers claims from four women who allege that Leto engaged in sexual misconduct and assault between 2002 and 2016, during which time they were teenagers and he was an adult. For instance, one woman reported that she was 17 when she was sexually assaulted, while another accused him of statutory rape, as she was also 17 at the time. Additionally, another woman shared that Leto threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19, and yet another alleged that he made sexually explicit phone calls and propositions when she was just 16.
The BBC claims to have corroborated the women’s accounts, but these details have not been independently verified by other media outlets, including the Associated Press. Importantly, the documentary does not disclose the women’s full names to protect their identities. While Leto did not respond to the BBC’s requests for comments regarding the documentary, he has denied similar allegations made by nine women in a previous publication by Air Mail.
Jared Leto is well-known not just for his acting career, which includes winning an Oscar for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club,” but also as the lead singer of the band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Recently, he portrayed Skeletor in the upcoming “Masters of the Universe” film. As this situation develops, it highlights the ongoing discussions surrounding accountability and the importance of believing and supporting survivors of alleged misconduct.
