With multiple accusations of sexual assault levelled against YouTuber Andrew Callaghan, the Channel 5 journalist has broken his silence to hit back at the alleged victims’ requests for compensation.
Multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from Callaghan surfaced on January 12 following a viral post on TikTok from Caroline Elise, a supposed victim. A handful of women spoke up after seeing her initial accusations, also chiming in with their stories of purported sexual assault at the hands of the 25-year-old content creator.
Various women involved accused Callaghan of forcing himself on them, coercing them to do things they weren’t “proud of,” and in one instance, even allegedly kissing a minor when he was 22.
One day on from these posts all gaining traction across social media and Callaghan broke his silence indirectly. Through a legal representative at first, his views on the matter were conveyed to TMZ, claiming he is “devastated” by the accusations. He then followed up directly on YouTube with a near five-minute video response on January 15.
“Conversations about pressure and consent are extremely important and Andrew wants to have these conversations, so he can continue to learn and grow,” he legal rep said at first.
Furthermore, the legal spokesperson also honed in on a financial aspect seemingly bubbling behind the scenes. According to Callaghan’s team, various alleged victims raising their voices are also seeking financial compensation in the midst of this outpouring.
“While every dynamic is open to interpretation and proper communication is critical from all those involved, repeated requests for money should not be part of these conversations.”
TMZ reports Caroline Elise requested compensation at an opportune moment “just minutes” before Callaghan’s ‘This Place Rules’ documentary premiered on HBO. She allegedly asked for a certain amount out of his “fat check” from the television network. Callaghan seemingly denied this request, which then led to her speaking up on TikTok.
Since the discourse became public, Caroline Elise has made her TikTok account private.
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Chiming in with his own direct comments a few days later, Callaghan uploaded a video titled ‘In Response’ on January 15.
“I would like to start by thanking every single person that’s come out in the past week to speak about different ways in which my behavior has made them feel uncomfortable or pressured during a sexual situation.
“Up until this point, I didn’t really realize I had this pattern that had affected multiple people. I’d also like to apologize for my silence. I think when this stuff first came out, I was in a state of denial and shock. I was just riding the high from my movie that came out, then within 48 hours I was denounced by my closest collaborators. I spiraled into a mental health crisis.”
While Callaghan didn’t want to make excuses for his admittedly out of line behavior, he did place an emphasis on on alcoholic influence, claiming he’s “going to join [Alcoholics Anonymous]” right away and “start therapy sessions immediately.”
In light of these lifestyle changes, he’s also looking to take an indefinite break from the spotlight. That means no new content and no hosting videos for a good while as the Channel 5 leader takes “a serious step back from public life. I really think I need to do some serious work on myself,” he said.
“I just want to express my complete sympathy, respect, and support for anyone who I’ve done wrong by and be fully accountable for everything I’ve done. I’ve always taken no for an answer, I’ve never overstepped that line.
“A lot of the things that have been said online about me are not true. A lot of things are missing important contextual information that I think would change people’s interpretations, but I’m not here to invalidate anyone’s experience. I hope young men in particular can use my mistakes to learn.”