Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Chris D’Elia: YOU star and comedian responds to underage sexual misconduct and grooming allegations

D’Elia, 40, denies the accusations

Clémence Michallon
New York City
Wednesday 17 June 2020 16:32 EDT
YOU star Chris D'Elia accused of 'grooming' underage girls

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chris D’Elia has denied allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.

The 40-year-old comedian, who starred in season two of Netflix’s YOU, has been accused of inappropriate conduct, including with underage girls. Accusations began appearing on social media on Tuesday.

He denied the allegations in a statement to TMZ, telling the website: “I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point.”

D’Elia added: “All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me.”

He told TMZ that he is “truly sorry”, describing himself as “a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let [himself] get caught up in my lifestyle”.

“That’s MY fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better,” he told the website.

On Monday, a woman shared screenshots of alleged interactions with D’Elia, writing among other messages: “Imagine being 16 and being groomed by a stand-up comedian twice [your] age.”

Another woman tweeted: ”F*** you @chrisdelia. You solicited nudes from minors while [you] were in Vancouver and tried to f*** my friend when we were 16, and when I called [you] out on twitter you told her you’d ruin her life if I didn’t delete it.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in