Extra host A.J. Calloway has been suspended after several women have accused him of sexual assault.
His suspension comes after two more women came forward in December with their own accounts of being assaulted by Calloway. Last year, activist and writer Sil Lai Abrams accused Calloway and Russell Simmons of sexual assault in an explosive article in The Hollywood Reporter.
“Upon becoming aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against AJ Calloway, we began an internal review to determine whether there had been any misconduct by Mr. Calloway on Extra and whether any employee of the show had been the victim of any such misconduct,” Warner Bros. Television said in a statement. “To date, we have found nothing to suggest that Mr. Calloway has ever engaged in workplace misconduct.”
Warner Bros. added, “In light of additional allegations brought to our attention, we are expanding our ongoing inquiries, and Mr. Calloway has been suspended pending further review. We take such allegations very seriously and are committed to doing everything we can to ensure a safe and inclusive workplace for all of our employees.”
Calloway continues to maintain his innocence. He has yet to comment on the latest allegations, but last year he denied Abrams’ accusation.
“I was disappointed to read the false allegations about me in The Hollywood Reporter,” he said in a statement to ESSENCE. “As I have maintained from the beginning, these allegations are not true. When I was first notified about these allegations by law enforcement more than a decade ago, I fully cooperated from the beginning and the case was dismissed.”
He continued: “THR chose to publish these meritless allegations without a thorough investigation of the facts. I intend to vigorously defend my reputation against these false accusations and will not let this cause further harm to my family.”
