Matthew Underwood reveals painful past sexual assault experience
'Zoey 101' star Matthew Underwood shared on social media that he was assaulted at age 19
Matthew Underwood has bravely come forward to share his experience of sexual assault during his time as a young actor.
According to the statement for the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the Claws star shared he was assaulted by his former agent, whose details he would not reveal
Taking to Instagram on Friday Underwood penned his feelings, “When I was 19, I was sexually harassed and then assaulted by my agent at the time, who had spent a decent amount of time building trust with me as a friend and mentor. Again, my trust was betrayed and my self image was crushed.”
He added, “I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired — although he is still active in the industry. This experience provoked my move away from LA and ending my pursuit of acting.”
While sharing his experience of sexual harassment and assault, saying that “many people have been blowing up [his] email.”
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His claims and decision to hide the name of the perpetrator, ignited a controversy as many people called him a “pedophile defender” after the release of Quiet on Set.
The Synchronic star also revealed that he was also “molested by my best friend’s stepfather,” when he was at the age of 12.
Underwood mentioned that people can “recognize” that people may have their own “good, personal” reasons for choosing to stay silent.
He concluded, urging people to “stop wishing death upon my family and please reconsider harassing other actors who wish to maintain their privacy.”
