CBS says it is looking into recent allegations made by actress Ariane Bellamar that actor Jeremy Piven, who stars in its new drama series Wisdom of the Crowd, sexually assaulted her on the set of the HBO series Entourage several years ago.
The media giant confirmed its interest in a brief statement made Tuesday to Deadline Hollywood.
Late on Monday, Bellamar took to Twitter to accuse Piven of misdeeds during filming of Entourage.
“‘Member when you cornered me in your trailer on the #Entourage set?” she asked in a series of tweets. “‘Member grabbing my boobies on the couch without asking?? ‘Member when I tried to leave; you grabbed me by the ass, looked at yourself in the mirror, & said what a ‘beautiful couple’ we made? Jeremy Piven, on two occasions, cornered me & forcefully fondled my breasts & bum. Once at the mansion & once on set.”
The actress added the hashtag #MeToo in solidarity with the many actors and actresses that have made their experiences of sexual misconduct known in the wake of revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Piven forcefully denied the claims in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“I unequivocally deny the appalling allegations being peddled about me. It did not happen,” he wrote. “It takes a great deal of courage for victims to come forward with their histories, and my hope is that the allegations about me that didn’t happen, do not detract from stories that should be heard.”