“Gossip Girl” alum Ed Westwick denied ever meeting the woman who publicly accused him of raping her in a lengthy Facebook post earlier this week.
“I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman,” Westwick, 30, wrote on Instagram Tuesday. “I certainly have never committed rape.” The actor, who played Chuck Bass on the popular NYC-set series, disabled comments on his post which has nearly 170,000 likes.
Westwick’s reaction came shortly before the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed exclusively to Deadline that an investigation had been opened into actress Kristina Cohen’s rape accusation.
In her post, Cohen, 28, detailed an alleged 2014 encounter with the actor at his home. Noting that revisiting the alleged assault was “painful” for her, she continued to explain that she had been brought to Westwick’s home for dinner with an unidentified producer whom she was dating at the time. Cohen alleged that after taking a nap in the actor’s guest bedroom, she woke up to him forcing himself on her.
She said she failed to come forward sooner about the alleged rape because the producer told her it would negatively impact her career in the industry.
“The producer put the blame on me, telling me I was an active participant. Telling me that I can’t say anything because Ed will have people come after me, destroy me, and that I could forget about an acting career,” the post read.
The actress, whose resume is filled with guest spots (ABC’s “The Middle”) and stints on TV shorts and miniseries, filed a complaint with the LAPD.
Westwick starred on “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012.
