Spurlock on sexual harassment: ‘I am part of the problem’

Morgan Spurlock at the world premiere of Mansome at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. (Photo By David Shankbone – Own work, CC BY 3.0)

ATLANTA — Declaring “I am part of the problem,” documentarian Morgan Spurlock confessed in an online post to sexual harassment and infidelity, and said a woman accused him of rape in college.

In the post, which he linked to from his verified Twitter account, Spurlock wrote that as he watches other influential men brought down by allegations of sexual misconduct, “I don’t sit by and wonder ‘who will be next?’ I wonder, ‘when will they come for me?”’

Spurlock recounted a sexual encounter in college which he said he thought was consensual, but said the woman believed it was rape.

“I tried to comfort her. To make her feel better,” Spurlock wrote.

“I thought I was doing ok, I believed she was feeling better. She believed she was raped. That’s why I’m part of the problem.”

Spurlock also said he paid a settlement to a female assistant who worked at his office and whom he called “hot pants” or “sex pants.” In the post, Spurlock says he thought the nickname was funny but later realized he was demeaning her.

“So, when she decided to quit, she came to me and said if I didn’t pay her a settlement, she would tell everyone,” he wrote. “Being who I was, it was the last thing I wanted, so of course, I paid.

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Spurlock also wrote that he has “been unfaithful to every wife and girlfriend I have ever had.”

“Over the years, I would look each of them in the eye and proclaim my love and then have sex with other people behind their backs,” Spurlock wrote.

Spurlock wrote that he will do better and will be more honest with others and with himself. He ends the post by saying: “I’ve talked enough in my life. … I’m finally ready to listen.”

The New York Times reported that Spurlock stepped down from his production company Thursday. Warrior Poets, which Spurlock co-founded, said in an emailed statement that the move was effective immediately but did not indicate whether it would be permanent.

Spurlock is best known for his Oscar-nominated 2004 documentary “Super Size Me” on the fast-food industry, in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s food to show the health effects of the industry. He has produced dozens of other documentaries and TV shows and completed a sequel to “Super Size Me” this year.

In response to Spurlock’s confession, LeBron James’ production company announced Thursday that it will cancel its production agreement with Spurlock’s company, which it had hired to produce a series about the NBA star’s school for at-risk children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.