Today on “WTF did I just read?”: Author Tiffany Fitzhenry published a scathing exposé on the alleged pedophile ring in Hollywood.
The story is based on the account of former Disney talent Ricky Garcia and his mom Tammy Garcia, both claiming that there’s a widespread conspiracy where major companies like Disney and Hollywood Records are covering up the crimes of sexual predators.
Ricky filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against his ex-manager Joby Harte and other talent managers who allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted him when he was 12 years old. Fitzhenry’s story broke down what happened to the Garcias while they were working with Harte, which included Ricky getting drunk when he was a minor and waking up naked next to Harte, and allegedly getting passed around among Hollywood’s elite.
What got people more upset is the fact that Chris Pratt and Anna Faris allegedly hosted a party where minors, which included Ricky, got intoxicated and sex trafficked.
There is a lot to unpack in Fitzhenry’s exposé. She also interviewed Tammy and uploaded it on YouTube on Jan. 6. But what is interesting and disheartening is that major publications haven’t picked up this story; only netizens have rallied to bring justice to the Garcias and hold the accused predators accountable. Fitzhenry also started the hashtag #KidsToo to raise awareness.
It’s also understandable to think that Fitzhenry’s story may be mere sensationalism. But she did raise some valid points and we also found other stories that corroborated the Garcias’ account. If you were skeptical after reading the story in full (if you finished it), here’s a rundown of what you might need to know to get a full picture of the accusations and the alleged pedophile ring:
Ricky Garcia’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Joby Harte
Entertainment news outlets like Oxygen and The Hollywood Reporter have covered Ricky’s lawsuit against Harte for allegedly raping him while he was still under his management. According to the lawsuit filed in September 2019, Ricky (who is now 20 years old) was turned into a “sexual plaything” to be passed around to Harte’s industry friends.
Talent agency APA, which was also sued by Ricky for allegedly perpetuating the sexual abuse he experienced from fired agent Tyler Grasham, also threatened to sanction him for suing them without any basis. APA’s lawyer Adam Levin wrote in a letter to Ricky, “APA could not under any circumstances be liable for the single act upon which your claims against APA are based—an alleged assault on your client by Grasham at Grasham’s home in 2014. Accordingly, we demand that Garcia immediately dismiss APA from his misguided action. If he fails to do so, both you and Garcia will be held legally responsible for your actions including, but not limited to, claims against you for malicious prosecution after APA prevails in this action.”
Bella Thorne’s own experience as a Disney star
Bella Thorne, a former Disney actress, has also opened up about being molested and sexually abused when she was six to 14 years old. She talked about this in her book “The Life of a Wannabe Mogul: Mental Disarray” and in an interview on the Build Series where she said, “People think they know a lot about me but have no idea the type of mistreatment I was still dealing with at that time, that everyone around me saw and did nothing.”
It’s unclear whether Thorne’s experience happened while she was working with Disney. She also alluded in a 2018 tweet that she was molested and abused by someone in her home. Although Fitzhenry connected Thorne’s experience to Ricky’s case because they worked under Disney, it might seem like a stretch to solely blame the company for the former’s abuse.
Chris Pratt defending James Gunn’s tweets
In 2018, “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn was fired after his old tweets, which made light of pedophilia and rape, resurfaced. Actors like Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana defended him, saying that Gunn shouldn’t be sentenced in the “court of public opinion.”
Disney re-hired Gunn in March 2019 to direct the third “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie.
Gunn’s controversy is tricky because it brings up the discussion on whether you should cancel a person for the mistakes they made in the past and give them a chance if they’ve changed for the better. Still, netizens used Pratt’s defense of Gunn’s pedophile jokes as a sign that he could have hosted the party where Ricky got drunk and was sexually assaulted.
Of course, we can’t prove that yet, but it still makes you think.
The Hollywood pedophile ring
Lastly, let’s talk about the alleged Hollywood pedophile ring. There has been a longstanding conspiracy called “pedogate” that global elites—from celebrities to politicians—are involved in a sex trafficking ring involving young children. There is also a 2014 documentary titled “An Open Secret” which tackles the stories of teenagers who have been sexually abused within the film industry.
Perhaps one of the most daunting revelations regarding the pedophile ring was Jeffrey Epstein’s “Pedophile Island,” located in the US Virgin Islands. According to Fox News, Epstein trafficked girls as young as 12 years old to adult clients on this island.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims to have been trafficked by Epstein, said in 2011 that former US President Bill Clinton visited Pedophile Island. Giuffre also claimed that she had sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, Duke of York and other prolific men when she was still a minor.
Epstein was charged and arrested for sex trafficking a second time in July 2019. A month later, he was found dead in his cell after an apparent suicide. Several people, including the FBI, believe that this wasn’t the case—Epstein might’ve been murdered in his cell because he could implicate his high-profile friends. It’s not a bad theory if you ask us.
Whether you believe in the Garcias’ claim that Hollywood elites are preying on young actors or not, you can’t deny that there might actually be a pedophile ring under everyone’s noses. Our theory is that no one’s addressing it because it involves powerful individuals. Perhaps it’s like another Harvey Weinstein situation where everyone knows that something evil is happening, but people just don’t want (or can’t) to address it? We certainly hope not.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
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