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Terry Crews' Alleged Assailant Has Returned To Work At Talent Agency WME

Caitlin Flynn
Last Updated November 28, 2017, 2:30 AM
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Update, November 27, 9:45 p.m. EST: Adam Venit, the man Terry Crews identified as his assailant, has returned to work at WME following a monthlong suspension, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet reports that WME has confirmed that Venit is back at work.
Venit was suspended for one month without pay after Crews came forward with allegations that the agent groped him in February 2016. Crews has filed a police report with the LAPD.
Although he hasn't issued a public statement, Crews responded to the news on Twitter, writing: "SOMEONE GOT A PASS," accompanied by a link to the news of Venit's return to work.
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Update, November 19, 9:15 p.m. EST: As Russell Simmons faces allegations of sexual misconduct, Terry Crews has shared his own disturbing story about the chairman and CEO of Rush Communications.
Crews posted a screenshot to Twitter of an email that he says was sent to him by Simmons on November 3. The email includes the statements "Give the agent a pass" and "ask that he be reinstated."
"Message Russell Simmons sent to me regarding my sexual assault case against Adam Venit of @WME: Dear @UncleRUSH——NO ONE GETS A PASS," Crews captioned the post.
Simmons denies sexually assaulting Keri Claussen Khalighi when she was only 17-years-old. He hasn't responded to Crews' tweet.
Refinery29 has reached out to Simmons for comment.
Update, November 15, 9:40 a.m. EST: Terry Crews has named Adam Venit as the talent agent who allegedly groped him in 2016.
"Back in February 2016, I was assaulted by Adam Venit, who is head of the Motion Picture Department at William Morris Endeavor, one of the biggest agencies in the world, period," Crews said during an appearance on Good Morning America. "He's connected to probably everyone I know in the business... I did not know this man. I have never had a conversation with him, ever."
The agency told ABC News that "Adam Venit was suspended following the internal investigation into the matter."
Update, November 8, 2017, 10:00 p.m. EST: Last month Terry Crews took to Twitter to share his own account of being sexually assaulted. Today, Variety reported that Crews has filed a police report over the incident. The outlet says Captain Cory Palka of the LAPD confirmed a report was filed.
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Although Crews didn't name his alleged assailant in his initial Twitter thread, it was recently reported by Deadline and Variety that top WME agent Adam Venit had been placed on leave. According to Variety, the agency represents Crews.
Refinery29 has reached out to the LAPD and WME for comment.
This story was originally published on October 10, 2017.
Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse of multiple women is rightfully dominating the headlines this week and it's a disturbing example of how men in powerful positions gaslight and silence their victims.
Actresses including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow have shared accounts of being sexually harassed by Weinstein, but there's another person we should be paying attention to: Actor Terry Crews took to Twitter to share his story of being sexually assaulted by an unidentified Hollywood executive.
"This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME," the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor tweeted on Tuesday.
Crews went on to recount an incident at an industry function last year in which "a high-level Hollywood executive came over to me and groped my privates."
"Jumping back, I said, 'What are you doing?!'" Crews continued. "My wife saw everything and we looked at him like he was crazy. He just grinned like a jerk."
"I was going to kick his ass right then — but I thought twice about how the whole thing would appear," he recalled. "'240 lbs. Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho' would be the headline the next day. Only I probably wouldn’t have been able to read it because I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JAIL. So we left. That night and the next day I talked to everyone I knew that worked with him about what happened. He called me the next day with an apology but never really explained why he did what he did."
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Crews explained why he chose not to speak out at the time, and his reasons will sound painfully familiar to both women and men who have been sexually assaulted.
"Hopefully, me coming forward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless," Crews concluded.
Crews' account of sexual assault is so important because sexual violence is frequently viewed solely as a "women's issue." As noted by RAINN, boys and men who are sexually assaulted experience many of the same feelings and emotions as women survivors and "may also face some additional challenges because of social attitudes and stereotypes about men and masculinity."
Sexual violence against men is also more prevalent than many people think. Approximately 14 percent of reported rapes involve boys or men, and 1 in 25 reported sexual assaults is against a man. (These numbers, of course, don't take into account the myriad assaults that go unreported.)
Ira Madison III also took to Twitter today to reiterate the importance of Crews' comments. "Terry Crews' comments are so important because we also don't talk about men who face sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men," he wrote.

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