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Comedian Jeff Ross took to Twitter on Monday night to refute allegations made on social media that he had had a relationship with a minor girl more than 20 years ago.
Ross’s note clearly states, “I have never had a sexual relationship with a minor,” and then he lines up his defense.
“History is old news,” Ross wrote. “It has been researched numerous times and thoroughly reviewed and never published. Witnesses and evidence do not support these despicable allegations. “She also claims that the accuser and her husband” have been harassing me for years. “
The controversy swirled on Twitter on June 19 when @PallaviGunalan created a 16-part thread, which included videos of a woman talking about a relationship she allegedly had with the comedian in 1998, when she was 15 and he was 33. That woman had Originally posted the videos and messages on Facebook and Instagram handle “Iwas15hewas33”.
Ross promised to take legal action against his accuser. “I intend to take legal action based on these horrible and false accusations because no one, no matter how sick he is, should be allowed to continue trying to profit from the false stories while trying to destroy others,” he wrote.
Ross concluded his note by saying, “The dangerous environment that is currently exposed in comedy clubs is real,” and noted, “Although this accusation is false, I want there to be no doubt about my commitment to victims of sexual assault.”
The indictment reappeared the same week that comedian Chris D’Elia denied having sexually harassed teens.
Ross is known for hosting Comedy Central’s celebrity roast specials, as well as his own “Jeff Ross Roasts” specials for cabler ViacomCBS.
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