'Survivor's Kellee Kim Speaks Out After Dan Spilo Issues Apology to Her About His Misconduct Allegations
Kellee Kim is breaking her silence after her Survivor: Island of the Idols colleague, Dan Spilo, issued an apology to her amid allegations he inappropriately touched multiple women during his time on the show.
"It's curious that Dan has decided to publicly apologize to me — and just me — on the eve of the #Survivor39 finale for a series of inappropriate incidents that occurred months ago and impacted a number of women on set," Kim tweeted on Tuesday.
"I truly hope that some of this self reflection is real and that Dan changes his behavior going forward. For me, this statement only underscores the responsibility of CBS and Survivor to take action to prevent anything like this from ever happening again in the future. #Survivor," she concluded.
Earlier in the day, Spilo -- who became the first Survivor player ever to be ejected from the show -- apologized for his actions.
"I am deeply sorry for how my actions affected Kellee during the taping of this season of Survivor," Spilo, who was removed from the game on day 36, said in a statement to People. "After apologizing at the tribal council when I first learned that Kellee still felt uncomfortable, I want to make sure I do so again, clearly and unambiguously."
"I truly regret that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my behavior," he continued. "In my life, I have always tried to treat others with decency, integrity and kindness. I can only hope that my actions in the future can help me to make amends and show me to be the kind of father, husband, colleague and friend that I always aim to be."
Spilo had been the center of controversy this season. During a previous episode, Kim raised concerns that Spilo was being too touchy and had claimed that he invaded her personal space, and said that she asked him multiple times to stop. In a rare moment for the CBS show, producers broke the fourth wall and told Kim that Spilo was given an official warning.
Two other female contestants, Missy Byrd and Elizabeth Beisel, also said they felt uncomfortable with Spilo's behavior but later admitted they exaggerated their own allegations as a strategy to win. Nevertheless, Spilo did apologize at the Tribal Council for his behavior, noting that he was "horrified" if anybody ever felt "uncomfortable" with his actions though that wasn't his intention.
However, during the Survivor episode that aired on Dec. 11, host Jeff Probst made his way to camp and announced to the then-remaining players -- Lauren Beck, Janet Carbin, Dean Kowalski, Noura Salman and Tommy Sheehan -- that Spilo would no longer be participating in the show following another incident.
"OK, so I just spoke privately with Dan and I want to update you guys," Probst said at the time. "A decision has been made and Dan will not be returning to the game. He won’t be coming back to camp. He won’t be on the jury. He’s gone."
After the show ended, a title card read: "Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player."
For more on the allegations, watch below.
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