Broadway Legend Ben Vereen Once Defended His Best Friend Bill Cosby

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

NY Daily News.  The article also sheds light on Vereen's own actions.  http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ben-vereen-defended-accused-serial-rapist-pal-cosby-article-1.3738694

[TheGingerBreadMan]

I’m disappointed and disgusted to hear this about Vereen.

[GlindatheGood22]

Was he among those who were going to be named in that expose the Times never produced?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Sad to hear, but it was the right move on his part to apologize for his behavior towards those girls rather than deny it.

In the 60’s and 70’s when Vereen was a young man, I imagine that pressing against a girl, etc. was standard seduction procedure. Times have changed though and that doesn’t fly anymore.

[singerunlimited]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/broadway-big-ben-vereen-accused-sexual-assault-hair-article-1.3738684

The allegations put forth in this article are sickening and very disturbing. In doing some research, many of the cast members came forward with their stories several months ago. It makes me very sad that this is just now getting picked up as a news story.

[BrodyFosse123]

By the way, the Times article is still being worked on as is one on fashion photographers. They keep getting delayed due to continual material surfacing.

[Mister Matt]

This doesn't surprise me in the least.  Vereen has had a horrific reputation for 40 years.

“While it was my intention to create an environment that replicated the themes of that musical during the rehearsal process, I have since come to understand that it is my conduct, not my intentions, which are relevant here."

Gross.

[bwaylyric]

Wow.  Taken the Leading Player title to a whole other level.

[Mister Matt]

Sad to hear, but it was the right move on his part to apologize for his behavior towards those girls rather than deny it. 

It was basically a denial disguised as an apology.  A pathetic excuse that was NOT the right move on his part.

[adamgreer]

Did he really try to say that because it was a production of Hair it was ok? Wow.

[Dover]

At some point while rehearsing Hair you're going to need to do an acting exercise in which everybody takes their clothes off. "Give me a blowjob in my hot tub" is not part of that process.

[CarlosAlberto]

Another one bites the dust...
 

 

[slumdogdelaware]

Incredibly disappointing. 

[ggersten]

I recall Vereen saying that in the OBC, getting naked was not mandatory, but you got an extra $10 for every show that you disrobed. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

This is a recent tweet on Rachelle Rak's Twitter page:  "Stand behind someone, stand for something, and don't be afraid to support your friends."  It shows a smiling Rachelle with her friend Ben Vereen.  

[starcatchers]

Patti LuPone FANatic said: "This is a recent tweet on Rachelle Rak's Twitter page: "Stand behind someone, stand for something, and don't be afraid to support your friends." It shows a smiling Rachelle with her friend Ben Vereen. "

 

https://instagram.com/p/BdntxFngKeq/ her even more unfortunate Instagram post. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

It is very sad that so meone I respected as a strong and assertive woman would so blatantly stand on the side of a person who has victimized women in the past.  Very sad. She's tone deaf to the truthful stories of the women who have something to say.   Here is the text of her Instagram post.  

"Stand behind someone, stand for something, and don’t be afraid to support your friends. I will not participate in giving anyone attention that is going back 40 years or any amount of time about a star like Ben Vereen or anyone else the satisfaction to simply be paid and ruin a persons name. I will not stand by women that all of a sudden had a revelation and money to be in the spotlight to damage a persons life work and life. I a woman, a mother a daughter of a single mother will not stand with this behavior. We are stronger than that. God Bless you Ben Vereen, you always taught me about love, God, a higher power and a light in this world. Someone needs to stand up for you." Sas

[trpguyy]

WTF? Does she even realize the newsmaking incidents were from two years ago, not 40, and that even he isn't trying to defend himself? What is she even talking about?

[starcatchers]

trpguyy said: "WTF? Does she even realize the newsmaking incidents were from two years ago, not 40, and that even he isn't trying to defend himself? What is she even talking about?"

I really have no clue, but the sentiment behind it is NOT a good look. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

I first came to know anything about her on "Every Little Step".  She came across as a strong and powerful woman.  I've lost all respect for her.   Truly sad and tone deaf.  

[trpguyy]

https://www.facebook.com/aeheisey/posts/4713407671869

"

If you haven't read the news about Ben Vereen, Google his name and I'm sure the first news article will be able to update you. I'm writing this in hopes that anyone who reads it will understand that this sort of abuse happens and it hits closer to home than you think.

To those of you back in my hometown, and those scattered around the country and beyond, I was in the cast of HAIR in question, I saw and experienced his mental abuse and manipulation of power first hand, I saw and experienced some of his sexual abuse. I was lucky, my invitation to work privately at his place never happened, but he did try to set one up. He did have us (the women) give him a kiss before leaving rehearsal or he'd have us sit on his lap. I watched him berate and break down cast mates while we all watched, he did this to me, and to be honest I can't even remember most of what happened there, I've either buried it or wiped it from my memory. My beautiful cast mates that were assaulted, they're brave and this happened to them. They deserve to be heard and believed above this former Broadway legend.

How does this happen? You feel powerless, you feel like he can help you get somewhere, he scares you or threatens to kick you out of the cast or threatens to sue you for talking because we signed an NDA. Why didn't someone do something? In the moment it seemed like what we had to do... that maybe this was how things were done in his time and we should suck it up. It's hard to explain. Don't shame victims for keeping silent. It's easier to stay silent than to come forward.

On his apology statement he or his media team have deleted comments made by me and some of my cast mates. Those supporting him, saying he never could have done this, it doesn't seem like him at all - they are part of the problem. If you don't believe those that were there because "he was my hero, it just can't be true. I don't know him to be that way. He was never like that around me," YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. You can never truly know what a person is capable of, anyone pretending otherwise is fooling themselves.

You know me, I saw these things and they are true and did happen. It's not something that only happens in Hollywood or in Washington. I hope you'll read this and go forward trying to help and make things better."

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Don’t know how to make this clickable from my phone, but HOLY SH*T. There are new details here that make it clear this was way more than standard dirty old man stuff and that he was indeed monstrous in his behavior:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180105/ben-vereen-accused-of-sexual-assault-while-directing-hair-at-venice-theatre

[trpguyy]

^^ I don’t believe this article contains any details that haven’t already been reported (but largely ignored).

[Liza's Headband]

He's trash. He's scum. I thought his sketchy reputation was always widely known in the industry, hence the vanishing act known as his career beginning in the late 80s/early 90s. 

[hmph]

Yikes. The subject of this thread downplays how disgusting he is, amazingly enough. The responses to his non-apology on Twitter are disturbingly blind to what that he pulled. 

FB posts from people beyond the four people in the NY Daily News story make it clear it was even more disgusting than just what was recounted there. What a nightmare of a human.