Actress Alyssa Milano will no longer participate in a Los Angeles fundraiser for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang after she said he is not doing an adequate of addressing sexual harassment by his staff.
“I have made the difficult decision to withdraw my participation from a fundraiser for the @andrewyang campaign. This is due to repeated allegations of sexual misconduct against a campaign staffer by a campaign staffer which were not appropriately addressed,” she tweeted Tuesday. “While I have not endorsed any candidate, I do believe Andrew Yang is a good man with progressive, smart, interesting ideas. And to be clear, NO allegations have been made against him personally. But this issue is too important and too prevalent. The buck stops at the top.”
She added, “Part of fixing the issue of sexual harassment in our culture is living our values and holding ourselves and the people we admire accountable. I wish Andrew, his family and his campaign well, and encourage him to immediately and publicly remedy this issue.”
I have made the difficult decision to withdraw my participation from a fundraiser for the @andrewyang campaign. This is due to repeated allegations of sexual misconduct against a campaign staffer by a campaign staffer which were not appropriately addressed. (1/3)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 11, 2019
Part of fixing the issue of sexual harassment in our culture is living our values and holding ourselves and the people we admire accountable.
I wish Andrew, his family and his campaign well, and encourage him to immediately and publicly remedy this issue. (3/3)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 11, 2019
While details of the allegations were not immediately clear, the Yang campaign issued a statement in response, saying it is looking into the matter.
“We take these matters seriously, and creating a safe environment for anyone participating in any activity with the campaign is an utmost priority,” a representative with the campaign said Tuesday. “To those ends, we have initiated prompt action to evaluate these allegations and will take all necessary steps to ensure that we foster a work environment that is in accordance with our values.”
Statement from @AndrewYang campaign re: actress & #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano’s withdrawal from a ‘Holiday Brunch’ LA fundraiser (ft. Teri Hatcher & Evelyn Yang) due to “repeated allegations of sexual misconduct against a campaign staffer” not being “appropriately addressed” → https://t.co/yoLxo8q6fR pic.twitter.com/YapVbXPiY0
— Julia Jester (@JulesJester) December 11, 2019
The fundraiser was meant to be a brunch with tickets selling from $100 to $5,600. Yang planned to talk about his proposed Freedom Dividend of $1,000 to every American adult every month for the rest of his or her life.
The former tech entrepreneur qualified for the final Democratic debate on Tuesday, making him the only nonwhite candidate who will participate in the event next week. Yang is currently polling at 3%, according to RealClearPolitics.
