X Factor Italy has dropped Asia Argento as a judge amid sexual-assault allegations.
Fans in Italy will be able to see Argento in the first seven episodes of the season — since those have already been shot — but she’ll be replaced by a new judge who will be announced on Sept. 5.
Argento was present for the audition portion of the show; the live part begins on Oct. 25, and will feature the new judge and main cast. It would’ve been excessively costly to start over from the very beginning, so the show production opted to keep the original episodes in. Argento is still pictured centrally in the show ads and promos.
READ MORE: Asia Argento accuser Jimmy Bennett breaks silence on alleged sexual assault
An Aug. 19 New York Times report alleged that Argento, one of the most notable faces of the #MeToo movement and an accuser of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein, settled with a former male co-star to the tune of US$380,000 after he accused her of sexual assault.
The actor, Jimmy Bennett, claimed that Argento sexually assaulted him in a hotel room in 2013 when he was only 17 — below the age of consent in California — and she was 37. The Times cited documents sent to the publication anonymously and verified them with three people familiar with the case. In the documents, Bennett said that Argento gave him alcohol, kissed him and performed oral sex on him before the pair had sexual intercourse.
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WATCH BELOW: Asia Argento denies sexual assault allegations, claims Bourdain paid accuser out of compassion
Argento has admitted to the $380,000 payout, saying her late ex-boyfriend Anthony Bourdain “personally undertook to help Bennett economically.” She categorically denies Bennett’s accusations.
Upon hearing about the allegations, X Factor Italy producers FremantleMedia Italia and Sky Italia expressed concern about their casting of Argento, and said if the accusations were legitimate they would remove her from the show. Now that she’s officially out, the producers were expected to make a statement about their decision. As of this writing, they have not.
Italian publications first reported her firing over the weekend. Argento has not publicly responded.
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