Last November, George Takei seemingly joined the ranks of disgraced Hollywood elites like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby when an article by The Hollywood Reporter alleged that the Star Trek actor had sexually assaulted a man named Scott R. Brunton in 1981. Brunton claimed that Takei had invited him back to his apartment, plied him with spiked drinks and attempted to remove his pants while he was passed out. Takei has adamantly denied the allegations. A recent, in-depth investigative report has explored the claims fully, revealing several holes in Brunton’s story.
The report comes from Observer journalist Shane Snow, who investigated the claims made by Brunton not only in The Hollywood Reporter article, but also several other publications. In doing so, Snow discovered several inconsistencies.
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Snow first assesses Brunton’s claim to The Oregonian that he knew: “unequivocally he spiked my drink,” the “he” in this case being Takei. Interviews with toxicologists revealed that Brunton had likely not been drugged, as the after effects of a drug like Rohypnol would have been severe and caused Brunton to lose several hours’ worth of time and experience immense discomfort once the drug’s effects had worn off. Brunton reported sobering up that night and driving home.
The focus then shifts to the claims of sexual touching without consent, of which Brunton has delivered several differing versions to outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, CNN and The Oregonian. In an interview with Snow, Brunton revealed the following:
I asked him to clarify the issue. “Did he touch your genitals?”
“You know…probably…” Brunton replied after some hesitation. “He was clearly on his way to…to…to going somewhere.”
We shared a pause.
“So…you don’t remember him touching your genitals?”
Brunton confessed that he did not remember any touching.
The article is extensive and delves deep into the murky list of accusations. While no unequivocal conclusion can be drawn from the interviews contained therein, the article brings up several valid points about modern discourse, issues of consent, social justice and accountability.