Michael Darby Denies Sexual Misconduct Claims — Including Allegation He Grabbed Andy Cohen's Butt
It was all about Michael Darby on the final installment of the Real Housewives of Potomac season 4 reunion on Sunday, as the controversial househusband took the stage to confront a whole new series of sexual misconduct claims — including one that he had grabbed the butt of reunion host Andy Cohen.
Michael, who is married to Ashley Darby, had been the talk of much of the season after a cameraman claimed in court documents that the 60-year-old real estate mogul had “grabbed and groped” his butt during filming.
Michael denied the incident happened, and charges of felony assault, as well as misdemeanor improper sexual contact, were eventually dismissed by a Montgomery County court due to insufficient evidence. But during the reunion, Potomac Housewives Gizelle Bryant, Robyn Dixon, Karen Huger, Candiace Bassett Dillard and Monique Samuels all brought up additional claims and revealed they had heard Michael had allegedly groped other male staffers over the years.
The women said the alleged incidents happened back in 2016 during RHOP‘s first season, around the same time cameras caught Michael touching the backside of former RHOP member Katie Rost’s then-fiancé Andrew Martin on the dance floor.
“Producers have told us you have done that to them,” Bryant told Michael on Sunday.
“I was told the same thing,” said Dixon. “That the same night that Michael grabbed Andrew’s butt, he also went around and grabbed their butts.”
Michael once again denied any inappropriate touching had taken place, telling Bryant and Robyn, “that’s not true,” multiple times.
RELATED: RHOP Cast Discuss More Sexual Misconduct Claims Against Ashley Darby’s Husband Michael
Ray Huger, Karen’s husband, then dropped a bombshell of his own — claiming he had witnessed Michael grab Cohen’s butt after the filming of a previous RHOP reunion.
“I’ve seen you grab someone’s behind, for myself. I saw you in a different situation,” Ray said. “I saw you grab Andy’s butt at the reunion. … I saw that. You guys were kidding around. It’s not a big deal.”
The alleged grab, Ray said, meant that he believed Michael had, in fact, grabbed the cameraman during filming.
“I did believe you did it,” Ray said. “I didn’t think it was a bad thing. I thought you were being playful. … My situation was, you do that. You told me and you told the world that you do that in Australia all the time.”
Michael maintained his innocence, denying he had ever touched Cohen. “What a waste of time. There’s another unfounded accusation from someone,” he said.
“You and I might have had a fun joke about it. I don’t think I grabbed your butt,” he told Cohen, who agreed.
“I don’t remember,” the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen host said. “I’m sure I was fine with it. The show went well, I love you guys.”
Meanwhile, Ray wasn’t the only househusband making waves. Chris Bassett, Dillard’s husband, also brought up another alleged incident of sexual misconduct by Michael.
Speaking at Sunday’s reunion, Bassett recalled he was with Michael at D.C. venue L2 Lounge when Michael allegedly groped the backside of the same cameraman, who later made the claim against him.
“I was called in to question because that same cameraman, while and I were talking, when he walked between us he said grabbed his ass then,” Chris said. “I didn’t see it … but I know that he walked between us, and he whipped his head around and gave a death stare.”
“There were two different instances,” Chris added. “Two different instances.”
In response, Michael told Chris, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, as usual.”
Elsewhere during the reunion, Michael addressed the alleged sexual comment he made about another househusband while the cameras were down.
Robyn and Candiace had brought up the comment before, claiming that they overheard Michael saying at a party that he would be open to performing oral sex on another male cast member (the mystery man’s identity was previously kept under wraps, but at the reunion, it was confirmed it was Juan Dixon).
Yet again, Michael denied saying that — this time discrediting Robyn and Candiace in the process and calling their claims, “the weakest story I’ve ever heard.”
“You were very drunk,” he said of Robyn. “The fact that she could stand up is amazing. She was wavering all over the place. She was drunk. It’s a fact she was drunk, we all know she was drunk. So there’s no way you remember me saying that.”
“Candiace, I didn’t even talk to that night. I don’t even like talking to Candiace. She was on the other side,” Michael continued. “The music was loud. It was after the event. … I don’t care what you have to say. I don’t care what you heard. You have no credibility.”
Of course, Robyn and Candiace felt otherwise. “I did not make it up,” Robyn said. “I would never make something like that up.”
“We were all standing together. You don’t have to talk to me for me to hear it. I heard it,” Candiace told Michael as her husband added that there wasn’t music playing in the restaurant at the time. “The only people in the restaurant was us. At that point, nobody else was in there,” she said.
RELATED: Candiace Dillard ‘Stands By’ Her Comments to Ashley Darby During RHOP Reunion: ‘I Can’t Apologize’
In the end, Michael left the stage maintaining his innocence and telling the Potomac Housewives that they “should be ashamed” for questioning him at all.
The women, on the other hand, seemed to still have doubts.
“A question mark remains,” Karen said. “I hope for Michael that he stops or doesn’t behave this way, if he’s doing this.”
“He’s such an arrogant prick,” said Robyn. “If he can lie and say he didn’t say the comment, then he will lie.”
“Arrogant, entitled and crazy,” Candiace added. “I don’t want to be around him. It’s too much.”
from PEOPLE.com https://people.com/tv/rhop-reunion-michael-darby-sexual-misconduct-claims-andy-cohen/
Comments
Post a Comment