Jared Leto has been accused of sexual misconduct by nine women in a lengthy exposé published by Air Mail on Friday.
A representative for Leto has denied the accusations.
Allegations against the Thirty Seconds to Mars singer, 53, resurfaced last month when Los Angeles DJ Allie Teilz reshared a Facebook post she made in 2012 on her Instagram Story.
“Youre [sic] not really in L.A. until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage… In a kilt.. And a snow hat. I was assaulted and traumatized by this creep when I was 17,” she wrote.
“I was assaulted and traumatized by this creep when I was 17,” she wrote in another Story. “He knew my age and didn’t care. What he did was predatory, terrifying and unacceptable.”
The Independent has contacted Leto’s representatives for comment.
One of the women in the Air Mail article claims, “it’s been an open secret for a long time” that Leto is known for texting teenage models. Another said she was 16 when Leto approached her and got her number in 2006. She says the actor began calling her in the middle of the night and making sexual remarks.
In response, a representative for the star said that Leto has been sober for more than 35 years after the accuser speculated that he was on drugs during the calls.
Leto “has not had a drink or used drugs in over 35 years,” said the spokesperson.
Laura La Rue, a model who was also 16 when she said she met Leto, claimed she had a similar interaction after Leto invited her to visit him in his music studio.
“Their communications contain nothing sexual or inappropriate,” Leto’s representative told Air Mail, “and Ms. La Rue later applied to work as Mr. Leto’s personal assistant, further underscoring the absence of anything inappropriate in any of their interactions.” La Rue reportedly denied ever applying to work as Leto’s personal assistant.
A fourth woman, who said she began a texting relationship with Leto when she was still underage, said his advances ramped up when she turned 18. She claims that during a subsequent visit to Leto’s house, he began masturbating in front of her.
“All of the allegations are expressly denied,” Leto’s representative said in response.
Leto rose to fame in the 1990s as Jordan Catalano on the cult TV series My So-Called Life before earning critical acclaim for transformative roles in Requiem for a Dream (2000), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and Suicide Squad (2016). Alongside his acting career, he co-founded Thirty Seconds to Mars in 1998, achieving global success with hits like “The Kill (Bury Me)” and “Kings and Queens.”
Over the years, Leto has become well known for his commitment to method acting.
For his role as the Joker in Suicide Squad, he insisted on being addressed as “Mister J” and told E! that he tried to “create an element of spontaneity” on the set by sending strange presents such as “used condoms” and “anal beads” to the cast, which included Cara Delavigne and Margot Robbie.
However, he later said he was just joking when he made the claims publicly in 2016. “99.9 per cent of what people read is bulls***. There were no used condoms,” he said.
In 2018, Metro reported on a Twitter post by The Suite Life of Zack & Cody star Dylan Sprouse that read: “Yo @JaredLeto now that you’ve slid into the DMs of every female model aged 18–25, what would you say your success rate is?”
Sprouse, 32, is married to 31-year-old Hungarian model Barbara Palvin.
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn replied to Sprouse’s tweet, saying: “He starts at 18 on the internet?”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you are in the UK, Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.
