Jesse Williams has the backing of his theatre group.
During his Take Me Out broadway performance, someone managed to sneak in a phone to take a video of Williams’ full frontal nude scene. The post quickly went viral on Twitter as people reacted to the “Grey’s Anatomy” star.
READ MORE: Jesse Williams’ Full Frontal Nude Scene From Broadway Debut In ‘Take Me Out’ Leaks Online
Second Stage Theater has now issued a statement, condemning the leak.
“It is deeply unfortunate that one audience member chose to disrespect the production, their fellow audience members, and, most importantly the cast in this matter,” they said.
Adding it “is a gross and unacceptable violation of trust between the actor and audience.”
Second Stage is currently trying to scrub the internet of the images and video.
— Second Stage Theater (@2STNYC) May 10, 2022
The Actors’ Equity Association also released their own statement to Deadline, “As actors, we regularly agree to be vulnerable onstage in order to tell difficult and challenging stories. This does not mean that we agree to have those vulnerable moments widely shared by anyone who feels like sneaking a recording device into the theatre. Whoever did this knew not only that they were filming actors without their consent, but also that they were explicitly violating the theatre’s prohibition on recording and distribution.”
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Adding, “Trampling on this agreement by capturing and distributing these photographs and videos is both sexual harassment and an appalling breach of consent. It is a violation that impedes our collective ability to tell stories with boldness and bravery.”
Williams’ co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson also condemned the leak on Twitter, writing that he is “appalled by the disrespect” and adding, “Anyone who applauds or trivializes this behaviour has no place in the theater.”
And truly, if nudity is what you are coming for…you are in for a long boring night. It's within a challenging 2 and a half hour play with big ideas, beautiful language & remarkable acting from a company of 11 actors that you will have to sit thru as well. You'll be bored. Trust
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (he/him/his) (@jessetyler) May 10, 2022
The leak came as Williams nabbed a Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Tony Awards nomination for his role as Darren Lemming.