Chris D’Elia is responding to allegations he targeted underage girls
Multiple women are accusing comedian Chris D'Elia of sexual harassment and grooming.
Twitter user Simone Rossi sparked conversation about the comedian's behavior when she publicly accused the 40-year-old of grooming her when she was just 16-years-old. She alleged in a lengthy Twitter thread, "Imagine being 16 and being groomed by a stand up comedian twice ur age and the only reason you never met up and never got physically m*lested was because u had just gotten a boyfriend ur own age."
Rossi shared alleged screenshots of their interactions, in which D'Elia asked the then-teen, "Can we make out?" Rossi clarified that she and D'Elia never met in real life, but she stated that she felt he "used the power imbalance between us to his advantage."
Since Rossi's claims went viral on Twitter, other women have revealed their alleged experiences with the former "You" star.
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The popular Twitter account SheRatesDogs posted messages it received from other women who say they had similar experiences. In one screenshot, one individual recalls, "Keep me anonymous but Chris D'Elia did a similar thing to me. I was 19 so not underage but he messaged me on Twitter asking if I'd talk to him more privately and personally and then offered to fly me to LA to hook up. I never answered him after that but it was weird, I had tweeted to him quoting his jokes and that's how he replied."
Numerous other women, both over and under the age of consent, alleged in their messages posted to the account that he also solicited pictures and offered the chance to meet him in various cities across the country or backstage at his stand-up comedy shows. Not all of the accusers met him or engaged in sexual acts with the star.
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Furthermore, no police reports or legal actions were taken against Chris D'Elia as a result of these alleged encounters.
D'Elia told TMZ in a statement that he "never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point."
"All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me," he insisted. "That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That's MY fault. I own it. I've been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better."
E! News has reached out D'Elia and his legal representative for comment, but have not heard back.
