Chris D’Elia is denying any wrongdoing in light of accusations that he preyed upon underage women.
“I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point,” D’Elia, 40, told TMZ on Wednesday.
“All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me.”
Though the “You” actor maintained there were no truths to the allegations, he apologized for being “dumb.”
“That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle,” his statement continued. “That’s MY fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better.”
The comedian came under fire when a woman named Simone Rossi came forward on Twitter with claims that D’Elia tried “grooming” her when she was just 16 years old and he was in his 30s.
“imagine being 16 and being groomed by a stand up comedian twice ur age and the only reason you never met up and never got physically m*lested was because u had just gotten a boyfriend ur own age,” Rossi wrote alongside screenshots of messages allegedly sent by D’Elia, who once played a pedophile on “Workaholics.”
In response, other women came forward with screenshots of “creepy” conversations with the actor from when they were teenagers, claiming he’d beg for their phone numbers.