- Terry Crews testified on Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights.
- Crews discussed his allegations of sexual assault against a Hollywood agent.
- He also said he would not be in "Expendables 4" due to retaliation for speaking out.
- The actor claimed the movie's producer, Avi Lerner, said if he didn't drop his case he would not be in the movie.
On Tuesday, actor Terry Crews was in Washington D.C. testifying at a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights.
Crews recounted his alleged sexual assault by a Hollywood agent via Twitter last year, which grabbed headlines all over the world as it was at the height of the #MeToo movement. It was later revealed that the agent was Adam Venit, head of the motion picture department at the talent agency William Morris Endeavor.
“The assault lasted only minutes, but what he was effectively telling me while he held my genitals in his hand was that he held the power. That he was in control,” Crews told the committee, according to Variety.
"As I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse," Crews said. "This was just a joke. This was just horseplay. But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world. That I know how hard it is to come forward, I know the shame associated with the assault. It happened to me."
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office declined to prosecute Venit following Crews filing a report alleging the agent sexually assaulted him. WME gave Venit a one-month suspension and he was demoted.
Crews also told the committee that he'd suffered retaliation for coming forward about Venit. He said that "Expendables 4" producer Avi Lerner made sure he would not be in the movie (Crews starred in the last three movies in the franchise).
Crews claimed Lerner “called my manager and asked him to drop my case in order for me to be in the fourth installment of the movie, and if I didn’t there would be trouble.”
Crews also pointed out to the committee that Lerner was dealing with his own sexual harassment accusation and said that "abusers protect abusers,"according to Deadline. A former executive of Lerner's Millennium Films filed a harassment suit last year. Lerner previously said the suit was "all lies."
Business Insider contacted Lerner for comment but did not receive a response.
Watch Terry Crews' opening statement:
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