Actor Steven Seagal Abruptly Ends Interview Following Sexual Assault Questions

Steven Seagal abruptly ended a live interview this week after being grilled about the numerous allegations of sexual assault surrounding him, according to reports.

The 66-year-old actor, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women over the last two years, sat down with journalist Kirsty Wark on BBC’s “Newsnight” on Thursday. Seagal wound up abruptly cutting off the interview during the live broadcast after Wark asked about the #MeToo movement and the allegations—all of which he has denied.

“In terms of your life in America, you’ve been very much caught up in all the allegations of sexual harassment. You had a rape allegation against you and I wonder how you deal with all that?” Wark asked.

In response, Seagal can be seen on footage of the incident tweeted by BBC removing his earpiece and microphone, getting up from his chair and then walking away and out of the camera’s view.

Numerous women have accused Seagal of sexual misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Most recently, actress and Bond girl Rachel Grant also told BBC in January that Seagal sexually assaulted her during a 2002 film rehearsal.

"I stood up to try to distract him. But he was able to tug down my top, which was strapless. My breasts were completely exposed and I was forced to cover myself," Grant told the outlet. "He pushed me onto the bed with force. Then he said, 'I suppose you want to see my private parts' - though he used a different word. I was looking up and he started to pull down his zip.”

Actress Jenny McCarthy spoke with Movieline back in 1998 about her claims of sexual harassment.

But more recently, after actresses Portia de Rossi and Julianna Margulies, as well as “Inside Edition” correspondent Lisa Guerrero, also claimed Seagal assaulted them, McCarthy again went public about the incident last November, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Guerrero, meanwhile, took to Twitter on Thursday to thank Wark and the BBC for questioning Seagal on the #MeToo allegations.

Further, Seagal was accused of sexual assault and trafficking by former model Kayden Nguyen in February 2009, TMZ reported at the time.

Before that, he had also been alleged to assault Faviola Dadis, who was 17 at the time, during a casting session in 2002 and raping 18-year-old female film extra Regina Simons in 1994.

Seagal has vehemently denied all accusations of sexual misconduct against him.

In response to Grant’s claims, lawyers for the former action star told BBC: "Our client denies having such contact with Ms Grant and further vehemently denies any alleged assault at all, in particular, the alleged assault occurring in...2002.”

In a statement issued to the Daily Beast last year, a rep for Seagal said McCarthy’s claims are “completely false.”

Regarding Nguyen’s allegations, Seagal's lawyer, Marty Singer, told TMZ: "The lawsuit filed by Kayden Nguyen against Steven Seagal is a ridiculous and absurd claim by a disgruntled ex-employee who was fired for using illegal narcotics."

SInger added that suit is a "complete fabrication without a scintilla of truth.”

Lawyer Anthony Falangetti, meanwhile, dismissed the allegations by Dadis and Simons in a statement to USA Today.

“The allegations that have been made against Mr. Seagal are false and have no substantive material support,” he said. “The accounts of both women are completely fictitious and totally made up. The allegations are a disservice to women who are victimized because of real predators in the film industry.”

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced last month that they would not be pursuing charges against Seagal in relation to a sexual assault allegation in 1993 because the case fell outside of the statute of limitations in California, Reuters reports.

Seagal was granted Russian citizenship by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2016, according to BBC.

[Photo Credit: Getty]