Chris Noth fired from ‘The Equalizer’ after sexual assault allegations
Chris Noth has been fired from the CBS show, “The Equalizer” following recent sexual assault allegations.
“Chris Noth will no longer film additional episodes of The Equalizer, effective immediately,” Universal Television and CBS confirmed in a joint statement sent to TODAY.
The next episode, which has already been filmed, will be his last, according to CBS. The network said Noth will also appear in any future repeat episodes that are scheduled to air.
“The Equalizer” is currently airing its second season. In it, Noth portrayed the fictional ex-CIA director, William Bishop.
Noth’s removal from the show follows an article published by The Hollywood Reporter last Thursday that details two women’s sexual assault allegations against Noth.
THR used the pseudonyms of Zoe, 40, and Lily, 31, to protect their identities. According to the publication, the women contacted THR “separately, months apart” to describe alleged incidents that occurred in Los Angeles in 2004 and New York in 2015, respectively.
In a statement sent to NBC News last week, Noth denied the allegations and said, “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross.”
“The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”
On Dec. 17, a third accuser said in a Daily Beast report that she was assaulted in 2010 when she was 18 and Noth was 55. She recalled working as a hotel and lounge singer when Noth assaulted her, she says.
After the release of the Daily Beast article, a spokesperson for Noth released a statement that said, “The story is a complete fabrication, and the alleged accounts detailed throughout read like a piece of bad fiction. Chris has no knowledge of who this individual is and, as stated yesterday, has and would never cross that line.”
NBC News has not independently corroborated any of the three women’s allegations and does not know their identities.
Noth was dropped by his talent agency A3 Artists after the women came forward with their accusations, the firm confirmed to NBC News on Saturday.
Talks to purchase his tequila brand Ambhar for $12 million dollars also ended after the news broke.
Entertainment Arts Research, Inc. (EARI), a beverage company announced in a press release Friday that the deal with Ambhar was canceled due to “the recent allegations that have come to light against the actor.”
Peloton also removed an ad featuring Noth that connected to his “Sex and the City” character and the revival “And Just Like That…”
“Every single sexual assault accusation must be taken seriously. We were unaware of these allegations when we featured Chris Noth in our response to HBO’s reboot,” the exercise equipment company said in a statement to CNBC.
The statement continued, “As we seek to learn more, we have stopped promoting this video and archived related social posts.”
Universal Television is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, the parent company of TODAY.