Another sexual misconduct scandal has rocked the Below Deck brand, with accusations that Gary King sought to force himself on a staff member behind the scenes.
Fresh claims have emerged regarding another Bravo star, weeks after members of the production crew, Captain Jason Chambers and head stewardess Aesha Scott, were lauded for how they handled two incidences of misbehaviour on the Down Under spin-off.
Samantha Suarez, who worked on the hair and beauty crew and would also assist the talent manager with assignments, stated in a lengthy interview with Rolling Stone that she met the Below Deck Sailing Yacht bosun while prepping for season four in Sardinia, which recently aired on the network.
Suarez, 27, stated that she escorted the 35-year-old back to his hotel after he had shot interviews for the programme in July 2022, stating that he was inebriated and acting erratically as she sought to keep him contained in his room.
She said he urged her not to go and offered she join him in bed – and that when she returned later, he welcomed her in his pants before requesting her to stay in his room once again.
According to Suarez, King then approached her from behind and grabbed her, squeezing her against his body and refusing to let go despite her attempts to elbow and kick him.
She was apparently able to open the door at one point, but he slammed it shut from behind her – before she escaped into the hallway when her talent manager phoned, stating she was ‘freaking out’ and ‘didn’t know what was going to happen’.
‘I’m freaking out, and he goes, “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” And I’m like, “Just leave me alone.” He tried to come up behind me and put his arm around me. He’s in the hallway in his underwear and it’s all weird and f**ked up, and so I’m just like, “Just go back in your room and don’t come out,”‘ she said.
Suarez stated that she immediately alerted her supervisors about the event and spoke with executive producers and the show’s talent manager, stating that she did not feel safe working with King.
Producers allegedly promised to speak with the celebrity, who was taken from the hotel and sent to sleep on the boat, and informed her that if any similar occurrences occurred, he would be sacked.
Other crew members also talked to Rolling Stone about his behaviour. He was allegedly spotted grabbing the bum of a female co-star and continuing to touch her inappropriately when she requested him to stop, as well as touching the genitals of a member of the production team.
When one colleague reported his behaviour, they stated that no one addressed it at first, until a producer intervened and asked him to stop.
An anonymous staff member alleged: ‘It was insane. There were multiple incidents of sexual harassment in front of multiple producers after this person had been given verbal warnings multiple times.
‘I had to promote and make this guy who just assaulted someone look awesome. That was my job, to make this person look cool, capable, and exciting.’
The claimed incidents were allegedly captured on video, however the clip was never shown on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.
Suarez and the crew member who was vocal about what they saw were apparently not asked to return to the programme despite having worked on it for some time, whereas King has been spotted filming sequences for the next fifth season of the spin-off.
Suarez said she was retaliated against for exposing his behaviour, alleging he faced no penalties but she was denied employment, and that not enough was done to hold him accountable.
King, who has been active on social media since the claims first appeared, has yet to openly address them.
‘Bravo is dedicated to ensuring a safe and courteous workplace for cast and crew on our reality series,’ a Bravo representative stated in a statement. We demand that our third-party production businesses have suitable workplace regulations and trainings in place, as well as a clear method for reporting issues.
‘The concerns Ms Suarez raised in July 2022 were investigated at that time and action was taken based on the findings.’
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According to a representative for 51 Minds Entertainment, which produces Below Deck, “51 Minds is committed to providing an environment in which every member of the casts and crews on our productions feels respected and, most importantly, safe.
‘51 Minds provides mandatory harassment and sensitivity training for every series it produces at the outset of each new season and lays out a clear process on how and to whom to report any questionable activity.
‘With any complaint filed, a timely investigation is launched and, based on the findings, appropriate actions are implemented to ensure the safety of our cast and crew, up to and including termination. With regard to the incident reported by Ms Suarez involving Mr King, the case was investigated and reviewed as soon as it was submitted, and production acted accordingly based on the results.’