Bryan Callen announced he would be taking “a leave of absence” from his podcast after denying sexual misconduct allegations brought against him.
“When you’re in a situation like I am, you get a lot of advice from a lot of different people, and it usually falls into two different categories,” the 53-year-old actor and co-host of “The Fighter and the Kid” podcast explained in a video he posted on Instagram. The comments were noted by Fox News in a piece published Monday. (RELATED: Harvey Weinstein Sentenced To 23 Years In Prison After Rape Conviction)
“They either tell you to post a statement and disappear or they say to lay low and let the news cycle pass you by,” he added. “Well, for better, for worse, I’m not doing any of that.” (RELATED: Harvey Weinstein Does Not Have Testicles, Rape Accuser Testifies)
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“The Goldbergs” star continued, “I never thought in a million years I would be sitting here defending myself against something I did not do 21 years ago.
“So this is me saying that I categorically and absolutely deny all the allegations against me,” Callen explained. “I wanted you to see me say that, I didn’t want to post some stale statement. I wanted you to hear that come out of my mouth.”
The comedian went on to explain that he has been characterized as someone “no one” that knows him family, friends, fans, etc..”would ever recognize.”
“That’s not something that I could do,” Bryan shared. “Those are things that I could do, those are not things that I would ever do. That is not how I have ever lived my life.”
At one point, Callen shared that he believes in the #MeToo movement “because for the first time in history it gives women recourse against the abuse of power, and that makes the world a better place.”
“But I also believe in due process, and we live in a very strange time where anybody can make an allegation against you and you are guilty until proven innocent,” he added. “It’s just a fact that social media and the press alone can act as judge, jury and executioner… [but] when something like this happens, this is pretty much the only way you can defend yourself.”
The superstar concluded his message by stating he’s been “falsely accused of terrible things that I did not do.”
He then explained that he would “obviously” be taking a “leave of absence” from his podcast.
It all comes following a report last week in the Los Angles Times in which four women accused the comedian of a variety of sexual misconduct allegations including rape.