Morgan Freeman pictured for first time after multiple women accuse actor of sexual harassment

Morgan Freeman has been pictured for the first time since he was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. 

Looking downcast, the actor wore a baseball cap that covered his face as made his way to the film set for The Poison Rose which he stars in alongside John Travolta and which is directed by Fred Durst. 

Freeman has lost several sponsorship deals in the days since the allegations emerged but the studio behind the film are sticking with him and he will continue on as the villain in the thriller.

The Shawshank Redemption actor was accused of harassment by eight women, with eight more claiming they witnessed his alleged behaviour. 

Four people who worked on sets with him over the last decade claimed to CNN they didn’t come forward with their accusations for fear of their jobs. A production assistant on 2015 film Going In Style alleged he subjected her to unwanted touching, and comments about her clothes and body. 

Six former staff members at the company told the publication that they allegedly witnessed ‘questionable behaviour’ from Freeman around women, including making sexual comments and ‘an incident of unsolicited touching.

In a statement, the 80-year-old revealed he is ‘devastated’ that his career is ‘at risk of being undermined’ following the claims. ‘I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports,’ it read. 

‘All victims of assault and harassment deserve to be heard. And we need to listen to them. But it is not right to equate horrific incidents of sexual assault with misplaced compliments or humour. 

‘I admit that I am someone who feels a need to try to make women — and men — feel appreciated and at ease around me. As a part of that, I would often try to joke with and compliment women, in what I thought was a light-hearted and humorous way. 

‘Clearly I was not always coming across the way I intended. And that is why I apologised Thursday and will continue to apologise to anyone I might have upset, however unintentionally. 

‘But I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex,’ he added. 

‘Any suggestion that I did so is completely false.’