Bryan Singer is preemptively denying sexual assault allegations. In a statement posted to Instagram Monday morning, the director said that an exposé about him will soon be published in Esquire, but that it will only repeat old accusations of sexual assault, which resurfaced last year when he was was sued for allegedly raping a 17-year-old in 2003. (Singer has also been accused of forcing minors to strip naked for movies. In 2014, a man claimed Singer sexually abused him when he was a teenager.) Singer continues to deny all of the allegations. “I have known for some time that Esquire magazine may publish a negative article about me. They have contacted my friends, colleagues, and people I don’t even know,†Singer wrote. “In today’s climate where people’s careers are being harmed by mere accusations, what Esquire is attempting to do is a reckless disregard for the truth, making assumptions that are fictional and irresponsible.â€
Singer says the Esquire article is conveniently timed to the release of the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which he directed, but was fired from in December 2017. Singer will keep his directing credit.