Yesterday, Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel from Buffy’s inception in 1997 through Season 4 of Angel (when she alleges she was fired), released a statement on social media claiming she suffers from health issues “triggered” by the way she alleges Whedon treated her on set. “For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatize me to this day. Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel,” she shared Wednesday. “While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively.” She also said she was involved in an investigation that took place at WarnerMedia after Ray Fisher spoke out about the filmmaker over the summer. In July 2020, Fisher, who played Cyborg in Whedon’s 2017 film Justice League, posted a tweet accusing Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” on-set behavior toward the cast and crew of Justice League. Carpenter’s former Buffy costars have spoken up in support of her, and some are sharing their own feelings about what it was like to work with Whedon. Sarah Michelle Gellar posted in support of survivors of abuse yesterday. “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” Gellar wrote in a statement on Instagram. She said she won’t be making any further statements on the topic. “I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic.” But, she added, “I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.” Michelle Trachtenberg played Buffy’s younger sister Dawn who appears out of nowhere toward the end of the show’s run. She reposted Gellar’s statement on Instagram yesterday, with the caption, “I am brave enough now as a 35 year old woman….To repost this. Because. This must. Be known.” She continued, “As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior….very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did.” Amber Benson, who played Willow’s wiccan girlfriend post-Oz, shared Carpenter’s post on Twitter and added, “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top. @AllCharisma is speaking truth and I support her 100%.” She continued, “There was a lot of damage done during that time and many of us are still processing it twenty plus years later.” Next, see what Sarah Michelle Gellar said about female friendship and Selma Blair.
