comedian repeatedly accused of rape wants to sue UCB for gender discrimination
Last year, NYC improv group Upright Citizens Brigade banned comedian Aaron Glaser from his monthly gig at the UCB Theater after multiple women accused him of sexual assault, harassment, and rape. (Glaser confirmed the ban but denied the allegations in a now-deleted Facebook post.)
Glaser, who was supposed to perform at the 2016 Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival before the initial allegations came out, has now spoken to Jezebel, once again denying the allegations (“I have never in my life raped someone”) and he tells them that he plans to sue UCB for gender discrimination. “I was never contacted or questioned for any UCB investigation,” he said. “I went into UCB one day for a meeting with Shannon O’Neill and Alex Sidtis. During that meeting I was told at least two women said or felt as if I raped them. I was not told any details – no names, no specifics – I was just banned.”
His plan to sue UCB comes after Glaser tried to sue fellow New York comedian Jasmine Pierce, one of the women that called him out on social media, for $38 million. Pierce didn’t claim to be assaulted by Glaser herself, but “wrote [her] post because [she cares] about the safety of the women and people in [her] community.” Glaser sued her for defamation, accusing her of “falsely and intentionally” accusing him of rape.
He told Jezebel that he has since dropped that lawsuit after running out of money. The complaint had stated that, as a result of Pierce’s actions, “He has lost friends, roommates and his girlfriend. He has had to move back in with his parents. His performance career is now entirely over. More importantly, he is a social pariah. Given the atrocious and shocking nature of Defendant’s lies — false accusations of rape and sexual assault — Defendant must have known the results of her statements.” The complaint continues, stating, “His life will never be the same again. He will always be associated with these lies.”
The most recent allegations against Glaser include a post on Facebook, shared anonymously, claiming that seven women have yet to speak to the media with accusations. The writer of the post accuses Glaser of rape, saying, “I was crashing on your roommate’s couch. I got drunk at a bar with her. She insisted I go home with her so she’d know I was safe. Her last words to me that night, right before she went to bed were actually “You’re safe.” I fell asleep. You woke me up in the living room and raped me. I even vomited during the rape and you kept going. Remember? Oh my god, what fun you must have had!” She continues, claiming that the other women she’s spoken to about Glaser have similar stories. Read the full text below.
Jezebel was unsuccessful in their attempts to contact the note’s author. Glaser, responding to this specific accusation, told them, “None of that happened—my roommate never hosted someone and said that to them, nor did she host someone who threw up on our couch, nor did I ever climb on top of another human being or sexually assault someone.”
https://www.facebook.com/nicole.villela.1/posts/10213835679070520
