Former Model Accuses George Takei of Sexual Assault in 1981

George Takei has been accused of assaulting a model and actor in 1981. Scott R. Brunton, who was 23 when the alleged incident took place, told the Hollywood Reporter that Takei took advantage of him while he was drunk. Takei, an out gay man, is most famous for playing Sulu on the original Star Trek television series.

“This happened a long time ago, but I have never forgotten it,” Brunton told the Reporter. “It is one of those stories you tell with a group of people when people are recounting bizarre instances in their lives, this always comes up. I have been telling it for years, but I am suddenly very nervous telling it.”

According to Brunton, he met Takei, who was in his 40s, in Hollywood and exchanged numbers with him. When Brunton broke up with his boyfriend, Takei took him out to dinner to console him. When the actor invited Brunton back to his house for a drunk, the alleged incident took place.

According to Brunton, after having two drinks he began “feeling very disoriented and dizzy” and passed out on a beanbag chair.

“The next thing I remember I was coming to and he had my pants down around my ankles and he was groping my crotch and trying to get my underwear off and feeling me up at the same time, trying to get his hands down my underwear,” Brunton said. “I came to and said, ‘What are you doing?!’ I said, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ He goes, ‘You need to relax. I am just trying to make you comfortable. Get comfortable.’ And I said, ‘No. I don’t want to do this.’ And I pushed him off and he said, ‘OK, fine.’ And I said I am going to go and he said, ‘If you feel you must. You’re in no condition to drive.’ I said, ‘I don’t care I want to go.’ So I managed to get my pants up and compose myself and I was just shocked. I walked out and went to my car until I felt well enough to drive home, and that was that.”

The Reporter spoke to four of Brunton’s friends who said that Brunton confided in them about the incident years ago.

Takei responded to the alleged incident in a Facebook post on Saturday. In the post, Takei claimed the events “did not occur,” and called the allegations “quite personally painful.”

“I have wracked my brain to ask if I remember Mr. Brunton, and I cannot say I do,” Takei said. “But I do take these claims very seriously, and I wanted to provide my response thoughtfully and not out of the moment.”

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Brunton said that he met up with Takei one time years after the incident, but was too uncomfortable to raise the subject. He also said he wanted to go the media but felt he wouldn’t be believed. The recent conversation about sexual assault in Hollywood brought about by accusations againstHarvey Weinstein,Kevin Spaceyand others spurred him to speak up.

Brunton said, “I don’t want anything from him but an apology.” He added, “I am sure he’ll disown all this, I don’t know, maybe not.”

This post has been updated as of11:10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11 to include a statement from George Takei.