Bohemian Rhapsody Director Bryan Singer Faces New Sexual Assault Allegations

On the heels of Bohemian Rhapsody’s two major Golden Globe wins — including Best Motion Picture Drama — and five Oscar nominations — including Best Picture — Bryan Singer, the film’s maligned director, faces fresh allegations of sexual misconduct with minors.


The Atlantic’s thoroughly announced piece contains specific specifics from over 50 sources, including four males who'd never publicly spoken about their life-altering encounters. And much like the repetitive nature of the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, their stories tell the same chilling tale of Singer, a powerful, in-demand man in the film industry and host of infamous Hollywood pool parties, where he would prey on the vulnerability of teenage gentlemen — promising them acting gigs, giving them access to his successes, fueling them with illegal narcotics and booze, and using their bodies for his own pleasure or that of his friends.


In a statement supplied to multiple outlets, Singer denied the accusations and called the report a “homophobic smear piece.”

“The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has an outlandish obsession with me dating back to 1997. Right after cautious fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this segment of vendetta journalism. That didn’t stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic. It’s sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low regular of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals ready to lie for cash or attention. And it also is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been easily timed to take advantage of its success.”

It’s worth noting that according to the writers of The Atlantic piece, that statement is misleading. In a statement offered by way of the The Atlantic’s communications team, Maximillian Potter and Alex French note that Esquire’s fact-checking and legal team approved of the sources and reporting; it was executives on the best who killed the piece for unknown reasons. The piece was also vetted by The Atlantic’s team before publication.


Without consideration, the harrowing report is nothing new for industry insiders. Singer first faced assault allegations in April 2014, any time Michael Egan sued the director, alleging rape. The lawsuit was dropped months later — yet not before BuzzFeed published a lengthy report detailing the director’s party-hard lifestyle — and Singer moved forward, career virtually unscathed in the years before the #MeToo movement reached the mainstream.


But Singer’s reputation still preceded him, particularly within Hollywood’s gay community. Following the latest report’s publication, Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander took to Twitter to denounce the director. “Bryan singer and his LA pool parties are ACTUAL Hollywood nightmares that several people have spoken out about for a long time,” he wrote. “He’s a deranged, abusive and sadistic man, so are his accomplices. It is so incredibly challenging for survivors to come forward, Love and respect to them x.”


Several others either remained unaware of or turned a blind eye to the past allegations and gossip lingering in Singer’s orbit — including, apparently, Bohemian Rhapsody’s now-decorated star, Rami Malek.


In an interview following news of his Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury, Malek instructed them Los Angeles Times that he “didn’t know much about Bryan” whenever he was preparing for the role. “I think that the allegations and things were, believe it or not, honestly something I was not aware of, and that is what it is,” the actor mentioned, before suggesting that “perhaps that was Freddie himself” pushing the cast and crew to persevere by way of the adversity that came once, according to reports, Singer stopped showing up to the set and was fired with weeks of filming to go. (Also around this time, in December 2017, Singer was hit with another lawsuit alleging sexual assault of a minor — an accusation he swiftly and vehemently denied.)


When asked how fans can reconcile their love of the film with their disdain for Singer’s prior actions, Malek subtly offered that the crew did what they could, given the circumstance. “I think they can understand that Bryan Singer was fired from the film. And that can be something that they can look at from a perspective of understanding why they can appreciate the film,” he mentioned, then redirected the questioning away from the controversy to thank Dexter Fletcher, who directed the last of the movie — not unlike the deflection the Bohemian Rhapsody team utilized at the Golden Globes.


Gwilym Lee, who portrays guitarist Brian May in the Queen biopic, reacted to Malek’s interview with a hearty hear, hear. “This says it all...A leading man became a leader,” he wrote on Twitter. Nevertheless not all fans are satisfied, questioning how much (or how little) Malek really knew about Singer’s nefarious reputation.


Although the largest question that remains — and the only one that can really change at this point — is what occurs to Singer moving forward. Will he be exiled from the Hollywood elite, like Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and others before him, or will he get that $10 million payday from Millennium Films to direct a “female-empowered” Red Sonja remake?