During an interview on the Howard Stern Show, actor and comedian Molly Shannon alleged that she was sexually harassed by Gary Coleman early in her career.
Best known for her reoccurring appearance on Saturday Night Live for six years, Shannon said that the Diff’rent Strokes actor invited her to his hotel room early in her career through his agent. The agent at the time was also her agent at the time and led her up to Coleman’s room before suddenly disappearing.
“I think he was like, ‘Sit down on the bed.’ It was very sweet,” Shannon said. “And then he’s, like, tickling me a little. This and that.” Shannon said that she was “a virgin” at the time and was “trying to be polite” because she was “naive” per Complex. After telling him to stop, he allegedly became aggressive.
“He was relentless,” she continued. “Then, he was like trying to kiss me and get on top and I was like, ‘No, Gary. Stop.’ So I push him off. Then I would get off the bed. Then he would bounce on the bed. Jump, jump, jump. And wrap himself around me. Then, I would fling him off. And then got on top of me. I guess because of his size I didn’t feel physically threatened. But…it was going on and on. Repeating. I would throw him off, he would get back on.”
Shannon detailed that she eventually locked herself in the bathroom and was eventually able to dash out of Coleman’s hotel room. “I wish I could have stood up for myself more, “she said.
Coleman died in 2020 after succumbing to health issues that he has battled throughout his life.
[Via]