A fourth woman has accused Sex And The City actor Chris Noth of sexual abuse and threatening to ruin her career if she spoke out about the alleged incident.
Lisa Gentile, an American country-pop singer and songwriter, has claimed the actor groped her at her New York home after driving her home from a restaurant almost 20 years ago.
The accusation comes after three other women alleged that the actor had sexually assaulted them in 2004, 2010 and 2015. Noth has categorically denied the allegations.
During a virtual press conference on Thursday (December 23), Gentile, who appeared alongside her lawyer Gloria Allred, said she first met the actor at a New York City restaurant in 1998.
She claimed that one night in 2002, Noth accompanied her to her apartment and she “quickly became uncomfortable”. Gentile alleged that Noth was “slobbering all over” her and that she “was trying to get him to stop”.
The singer accused Noth of touching her inappropriately and forcing her to place her hands on him. “He became more aggressive and put both hands on my breasts and began squeezing them very hard over my shirt,” Gentile claimed. “I kept pushing his hands down while he was pushing mine up.”
She said she had managed to gain control and push him away, telling him: “No, I don’t want this.”
Explaining why she didn’t come forward with the allegation before, Gentile said she was “afraid of Noth’s power and his threats to ruin my career”.
Allred explained that her client would not be able to file a legal complaint because of the amount of time that had passed since the alleged incident, but by coming forward she hopes to help others who have been “victimised by powerful men in their lives”.
“She believes that breaking her silence may help others who have been victimised by powerful men in their lives,” Allred said. “Because what Lisa alleges happened to her almost 20 years ago, under the law in New York State, it is too late for her to have access to justice in New York State.”
Last week, two women, who came forward using the pseudonyms Zoe and Lily, both alleged that they were raped by Noth in a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter.
It’s claimed the two instances took place more than a decade apart, with one taking place in Los Angeles in 2004 and one in New York in 2015 the women said. Noth has strongly denied the allegations saying that the encounters were consensual.
The actor said in a statement to THR: “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross.
“The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”
A third woman later told The Daily Beast that Noth had assaulted her in New York City in 2010, when she was 18. A spokesman for the actor said the story was “a complete fabrication”.
The Hollywood Reporter said it had reached out to reps for Noth for comment about the latest allegation but has yet to hear back.
The actor was dropped by his agency last week in the wake of the allegations. The A3 Artists Agency confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that they have cut ties with the Sex And The City actor.
It’s also been confirmed by US network CBS and production company Universal Television that Noth has been removed from his current show, The Equalizer.
“Chris Noth will no longer film additional episodes of The Equalizer, effective immediately,” the two companies announced in a brief statement to CNN on Monday (December 20).
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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