‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Star Terry Crews on Sexual Harassment: ‘We Can Now Tell Our Truth’

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Terry Crews spoke about the impact of the #MeToo movement during an appearance at the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” panel at the TCA summer press tour on Wednesday.

“We can now tell our truth,” Crews said. “It’s all about freedom. It’s about being able to tell your story. One thing that influenced me was being here and feeling safe and having friends and family on this show that I felt secure enough that I could actually tell my truth and still go to work.”

Crews, who has also starred in films like “The Expendables” and most recently “Deadpool 2,” made headlines around the world when he revealed that WME partner Adam Venit groped him at a party in 2016 . Since then, Crews has become a prominent figure in the fight against sexual harassment and assault.

In June, Crews testified before Congress regarding his experience, saying, “The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control.”

“This is how toxic masculinity permeates culture,” he continued. “As I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay. But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world. That I know how hard it is to come forward, I know the shame associated with the assault. It happened to me.”