On August 24, Rolling Stone published an expose on Gary King, known for his time on Below Deck Sailing Yacht. The report featured a testimonial from hair and makeup’s Samantha Suarez who accused Gary of sexual misconduct.
The allegations ranged from trying to coerce Suarez into bed to pressing himself against her in his underwear. Bravo released a statement claiming that Suarez’s claims had been investigated at the time. But the statement left a great deal to be desired.
What’s more, others linked to Below Deck anonymously corroborated Suarez’s claims, saying that Gary was “scary with women.” Well, Gary wasn’t ready to take it all lying down. Of course, he didn’t leave his thoughts in the open for very long.
Gary’s insensitive response to the allegations
On August 24, Gary brazenly took to his Instagram comment section to address commenters who had read Rolling Stone’s expose earlier that day. The comments are now deleted, but Us Weekly managed to collect a record of them. “It’s so weird, it’s also so far from the truth,” he wrote. “She always wanted a platform and unfortunately I’m the unlucky target.”
Gary claimed dishonesty on Suarez’s part. “I’m not going to let some lying girl get to me … read that article fully, multiple times, and this happened to her on multiple seasons … seems odd.” Gary liked several supportive messages from fans and responded to some. He demanded evidence from detractors.
“Please tell me who I’ve harassed from [Below Deck],” he challenged. “If I did I’m sure they would have said something and not some random person.” He further demanded, “Please can you tell me where I have sexually harassed multiple women … you’re watching the wrong show pal.” It’s no wonder why Gary deleted these comments.
It goes without saying, but just because Gary hasn’t harassed other women on camera doesn’t mean he couldn’t have harassed and assaulted Suarez. And as a disclaimer, nothing has been proven yet. But during this time, we must take victims seriously until their claims can be verified. Victim-blaming is not a good look on anyone’s part.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK GARY’S COMMENTS HOLD ANY WEIGHT? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SITUATION AS A WHOLE?
