Chris Noth is under investigation by the Los Angele Police Department over allegations that he raped a women in 2004, law enforcement sources told Deadline on Thursday. The investigation is in the very early stages and may have some crossover with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, we hear.
“We are still looking into the nature of the report and trying to narrow down where, when and if where the report was filed,” LAPD Sgt. Bruce Borihanh said officially for the department today.
Noth, who is a series regular on CBS’ The Equalizer and just reprised his Sex and the City role as Mr. Big in the HBO Max followup …And Just Like That, has denied allegations of the 2004 assault and a 2015 attack in New York, both of which were reported today in a The Hollywood Reporter story that included interviews with the two alleged victims.
“The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,” Noth said in a statement Thursday that was also part of the THR story. “These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross,” he added. “The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”
Noth’s recently retained Lavely & Singer attorney said today that his client has not yet heard from the LAPD. “No one from any law enforcement agency has contacted Chris or any of his representatives,” Andrew Brettler told Deadline. “Obviously if anyone does reach out, we will cooperate fully.”
Universal Television, which co-produces The Equalizer with CBS Studios, declined comment on today’s report about the assaults. According to sources, the drama series is slated to wrap production Friday before going on a holiday hiatus.
Following his appearance in the series premiere of …And Just Like That, Noth teamed with Ryan Reynolds to do an ad for exercise equipment maker Peloton, which has now been quietly pulled off social media days after its Sunday launch. A rep for Peloton did not respond to a request for comment.
The news comes on the heels of the THR report published today in which two women came forward with claims they were sexually assaulted by Noth, one in 2004 in Los Angeles and one in New York in 2015.
The women, whose real names were not used to protect their privacy, both told others about the alleged incidents. They contacted THR independently and do not know each other, the publication said.
One woman, referred to as Zoe and who currently works in the entertainment industry, was in her early 20s she worked an entry-level job at a “high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business” when the alleged 2004 incident occurred. She alleged that after Noth flirted with her in the office, he invited her to a pool at the West Hollywood apartment where he was staying.
Returning a book to his room there, Zoe said Noth kissed her as she stepped into the room. When she said she was going back to the pool, he grabbed her and raped her, she said.
Zoe said afterward that a friend who was with her at the pool convinced her to go to Cedars-Sinai, where she told doctors she was assaulted and received stitches. Later, she said she underwent counseling because of the trauma.
She told THR that “seeing that he was reprising his role in Sex and the City set off something in me, adding that it was time “to try to go public with who he is.”
THR reported that the second woman, referred to as Lily and now a journalist, met Noth in 2015 while she was a server in the VIP section at the New York nightclub No.8. She said Noth asked her out to dinner, and afterward asked her to his apartment.
Lily said Noth eventually “tried to make out with me.” She said, “He kept trying and trying and trying, and I should have said no more firmly and left. And then the next thing I knew, he pulled down his pants and he was standing in front of me.”
THR reported that Lily said Noth thrust his penis into her mouth, and the next thing she knew, “He was having sex with me from the back in a chair,” she said. She told a friend about the incident but did not report it.
THR said it reviewed texts from March and April 2015 between Lily and Noth. “By the way I have to ask did you enjoy our night last week. I thought it was a lot of fun but I wasn’t quite sure how you felt,” Noth messaged, according to the article. “Hmm…I certainly enjoyed your company. Great conversation. Not to go into specifics over text message, but I did feel slightly used…” Lily replied. The two exchanged texts further test but never met again, Lily said.
Deadline could not independently verify the claims of the women.