Days after comedian Chris D’Elia was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct from multiple women, which included soliciting nude photos from underage girls, his friend and Whitney co-star Whitney Cummings has denounced his behavior. In a statement posted to Twitter on June 20, Cummings said that it took a few days to process all of the allegations against D’Elia. “I’m devastated and enraged by what I’ve read and learned. This is a pattern of predatory behavior. This abuse of power is enabled by silence,†she wrote. “Now that I’m aware, I won’t be silent. Girls should be able to be a fan of a comedian they admire without becoming a sexual target. It’s the adult’s responsibility to be an adult.†D’Elia claims that he never “knowingly pursued†underage girls, and that all of his relationships have been “both legal and consensual.â€
Hours after Cummings released her statement, Amy Schumer also posted a message on social media that encouraged women who have experienced “mistreatment†at the hands of “comedians or any other profession†to contact her. Without directly naming D’Elia, she said that taking action is particularly important for women who are under the legal age to consent. “There are great men out there. And there are men who humiliate and abuse women and girls because of a power dynamic or because when they were that age girls wouldn’t talk to them,†Schumer wrote. “Whatever your reasoning is, or was. We are watching you and we are all together now and we won’t accept this behavior whether you break the law or not.â€