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Steven Spielberg and co. pull out of ‘Bull’ following Eliza Dushku sexual harassment allegations

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Steven Spielberg pulling out of ‘Bull’ after sexual harassment allegations against star
Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television is pulling out of CBS' "Bull" after a sexual harassment allegation against star Michael Weatherly – May 10, 2019

Steven Spielberg and his production company Amblin Television have pulled out of the show Bull.

The move comes months after sexual harassment allegations against the star of the show, Michael Weatherly.

His company pulled out of the show months ago after the news of the allegations began to spread.

READ MORE: Eliza Dushku breaks silence about CBS, alleged Michael Weatherly sexual harassment

Amblin Television co-heads Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Spielberg all served as executive producers on Bull for the first three seasons.

In December, Eliza Dushku penned an emotional, straightforward op-ed for the Boston Globe, outlining details of the alleged sexual harassment she suffered on set of TV drama Bull.

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WATCH BELOW: Eliza Dushku breaks silence over CBS settlement, sexual harassment claims against Michael Weatherly

Click to play video: 'Eliza Dushku breaks silence over CBS settlement, sexual harassment claims against Michael Weatherly'
Eliza Dushku breaks silence over CBS settlement, sexual harassment claims against Michael Weatherly

The actor, known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and cheerleading movie Bring It On, was paid a settlement of US$9.5 million by Bull network CBS after she made accusations of sexual harassment against series star Weatherly.

A bombshell New York Times report outlined the alleged interactions between Weatherly and Dushku, who was initially hired in 2017 to play Weatherly’s love interest on the show.

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READ MORE: Eliza Dushku paid $9.5M by CBS to settle sexual harassment claim against Michael Weatherly

At the time, both Weatherly and show producers commented to the Times, but Dushku was silent on the matter because of a non-disclosure agreement. No longer.

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“[I didn’t want to interview for the Times article] because I wanted to honor the terms of my settlement with the network,” she wrote. “I was under the impression that Weatherly and [Bull showrunner Glen Gordon] Caron would also not respond per our settlement. Instead, all commented to the Times in what amounted to more deflection, denial, and spin.”

Dushku took the opportunity with the Globe to further tell her side of the story.

As written in the Times story, Dushku alleges that Weatherly used sexual language with her and made inappropriate jokes on set in front of costars and crew, adding to her humiliation. She claimed Weatherly called her “Legs,” made a joke about bending her over his knee and “spanking” her, invited her into his windowless “r van” (“rape van”) and at one point suggested that she have a threesome with him and another male cast member.

She wrote about these accusations further in her Globe op-ed, defining them in greater detail. After trying to talk face-to-face with Weatherly about the alleged harassment, Dushku says that he almost immediately tried to get her booted off the show. She claims he texted Caron and asked that her character be written off, saying she had a “humour deficit.”

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WATCH BELOW: Dushku claims Weatherly went ‘out of his way to humiliate’ her daily

Click to play video: 'Dushku claims Weatherly went ‘out of his way to humiliate’ her daily'
Dushku claims Weatherly went ‘out of his way to humiliate’ her daily

Weatherly claimed that several of his remarks were based on lines in the Bull script, and he was just making off-the-cuff “jokes.”

READ MORE: Michael Weatherly, Glenn Gordon Caron talk ‘Bull’ Season 2

He also issued an apology to the Times: “During the course of taping our show, I made some jokes mocking some lines in the script. When Eliza told me that she wasn’t comfortable with my language and attempt at humour, I was mortified to have offended her and immediately apologized. After reflecting on this further, I better understand that what I said was both not funny and not appropriate and I am sorry and regret the pain this caused Eliza.”

Dushku insists that the millions of dollars she received was not “hush money,” but instead what she was owed for being jettisoned so easily and for the year of alleged abuse she suffered — not to mention the future income she lost by being removed from the show.

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None of these sexual harassment accusations against Weatherly have been proven in court, and the actor has not been charged with any crime.

(You can read the full op-ed over at the Boston Globe.)

— With files from Global News’ Chris Jancelewicz

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