In her statement, the Broadway star believes that her young fan 'had their feelings badly hurt' because they 'received attention' from her and then they 'felt ghosted.'
- Aug 21, 2021
AceShowbiz - Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley has apologized to her young fan amid grooming allegations. In her apology note, the Broadway star insisted that the accusations are "misinterpretation" of her actions.
"It is a misinterpretation of my actions to say I manipulated anyone, and more shockingly, that there was abuse," the 57-year-old actress wrote to Page Six in a statement. "Yet here we are on this slippery slope because terms like 'grooming' are being thrown around … To be accused of this most vile thing, of which I am innocent, is crushing."
Alice went on to explain that performances of the musical "Next to Normal", which made her take home an acting Tony in 2009, "were truly safe spaces for people who had been touched by mental illness." She then noted that many of her teenage girl fans "imprinted their own mothers onto my character, [or] saw themselves in the daughter."
In her statement to the outlet, Alice admitted that she interacted with fans at the stage door for a "quick hello" and would sometimes see "people in my dressing room for a couple of minutes before or after the show." The actress also shared that she would "have a quick meal" with a fan "on rare occasions." She added, "Inevitably, they had their own fan dramas and jealousies and I stayed out of that as much as I could."
"It's now clear that a few of these fans had their feelings badly hurt because they received attention and then they felt 'ghosted,' " the "Sing Along" actress concluded. "I truly apologize for that. I never meant to give anything but positive reinforcement and I'm sorry anyone felt slighted."
At the end of her note, Alice denied the grooming claims once again. "Grooming refers to sexual abuse of a minor, which is the most despicable act imaginable. It implies that I wanted something or asked for something, and that is not true," she argued.
Alice had previously responded to the allegations. She stated, "Recently, a claim has been made online against me. There's absolutely no validity to any of it. I appreciate everyone's continued support."
Alice was hit with accusations of preparing a young fan for a sex by a TikTok user @lovelyleobrie, whose real name is Brie Lynn. In a video, Brie claimed the grooming continued for years. "Growing up is realizing I was groomed by a Tony Award-winning Broadway actress," the accuser said while showing off several photos of herself as a child with the Broadway star.
"Our first conversation was about a photo of you in lingerie. I was12 & when I was 13 you told me that the first time we locked eyes you felt like the world stopped. I've spent 10 years trying to convince myself it didn't happen, that I was in the wrong," Brie continued. "You separated me from all of the friends I had made & you made me HATE the Broadway community I once loved."
