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'Extra' Host A.J. Calloway Suspended Amid Sexual Misconduct Investigation (Exclusive)
Padma Lakshmi accused of 'cultural appropriation'
Longtime Extra host A.J. Calloway has been suspended after several women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, producer Warner Bros. Television said in a statement Saturday to The Hollywood Reporter.
The suspension comes months after THR first reported a claim of abuse against Calloway and as the publication has been preparing a new story with additional allegations. THR has reached out to an attorney for Calloway for comment on the suspension. The host previously has denied any wrongdoing.
"Upon becoming aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against AJ Calloway, we began an internal review to determine whether there had been any misconduct by Mr. Calloway on Extra and whether any employee of the show had been the victim of any such misconduct," Warner Bros. Television said in a statement. "To date, we have found nothing to suggest that Mr. Calloway has ever engaged in workplace misconduct."
Warner Bros. added, "In light of additional allegations brought to our attention, we are expanding our ongoing inquiries, and Mr. Calloway has been suspended pending further review. We take such allegations very seriously and are committed to doing everything we can to ensure a safe and inclusive workplace for all of our employees."
In a statement to THR, Calloway's attorney, Lisa E. Davis, said that "Mr. Calloway maintains that these unsubstantiated allegations are patently false. He vehemently denies that he ever assaulted anyone and looks forward to clearing his name."
As THRreported last June, author and domestic-violence activist Sil Lai Abrams accused Calloway of sexual assault in 2006, when Calloway was employed by Extra. He was arrested at the time but his case ultimately was dismissed on procedural grounds.
Subsequently, more accusers came forward in a Jan. 4 article published by The Daily Beast. In the wake of these allegations, Warner Bros. said the company had not received any complaints regarding Calloway.
Extra, a half-hour syndicated entertainment news program, is produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Television and airs on NBC owned-and operated stations (though it is moving to Fox stations later this year). Calloway, 44, has worked for the program since 2005, interviewing prominent celebrities on red carpets and at major events.
When THR first reported on Abrams’ claims, Calloway said in a statement: “I was disappointed to read the false allegations about me in The Hollywood Reporter. As I have maintained from the beginning, these allegations are not true. When I was first notified about these allegations by law enforcement more than a decade ago, I fully cooperated from the beginning and the case was dismissed.”
Asked about the additional allegations in January, Calloway's lawyer, Davis, told The Daily Beast that the host had "no further comment beyond his previous denial
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