Everyone is familiar with the YouTube series Honest Trailers, but now it turns out the creator – Andy Signore – is being accused of sexual abuse. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there are currently two accusers. One of which was a former intern for Signore, and used social media on Friday to publicly claim Signore uses his position to prey on women.
Emma Bower was the intern’s name, and she chose now as the time to speak up after The New York Times accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse with actresses and employees. Bower continued to explain that Signore would “joke” about pleasuring himself to photos of her, and asked if he could come over to her house and do it in person.
The next accuser is April Dawn, who met Signore during the Chicago Comic Con in 2015. Screen Junkies eventually flew her out to LA for an appearance on their Movie Fights series. Dawn explained that Signore actually attempted to sexually assault her on several occasions. She and two others soon went to the company’s HR department, but none of their complaints were taken seriously.
Defy Media, who owns Screen Junkies, has issued a statement declaring that they are indeed investigating the accusations.
“We at Defy Media have no tolerance for harassment or retaliation of any kind,” the company said in a statement. “We have been conducting a thorough investigation into allegations made against Andy Signore and are preparing to respond to those allegations and take appropriate action.”
They continued by saying that:
“Given the additional statements that were made today, we feel it is necessary to suspend Andy’s employment while we continue our investigation. We will take all necessary action once the investigation is fully complete.”
Screen Junkies is currently one of the Internet’s biggest channels, having cooperated with a variety of stars and even influencing them during their projects. Their show Honest Trailers has been subject to acclaim by both critics and audiences.
Signore is only one and a slew of icons and celebrities who have been recently called out on acts of sexual harassment and exploitation. It’s sad to hear, but I can only be glad that more and more people are finding the bravery to call out such disgusting and cruel individuals.