jeremy piven

HBO Releases Statement Responding to Jeremy Piven Allegations

Jeremy Piven Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

On Tuesday, HBO issued a response to claims made earlier in the day by reality star Ariane Bellamar accusing Jeremy Piven of sexually harassing her on the Entourage set. “Today, via the press reports, is the first we are hearing about Ariane Bellamar’s allegations concerning Jeremy Piven,” the premium cable network wrote. “Everyone at HBO and our productions is aware that zero tolerance for sexual harassment is our policy. Anyone experiencing an unsafe working environment has several avenues for making complaints that we take very seriously.”

Piven issued his own denial of Bellamar’s allegations. “I unequivocally deny the appalling allegations being peddled about me,” Piven wrote. “It did not happen. It takes a great deal of courage for victims to come forward with their histories, and my hope is that the allegations about me that didn’t happen, do not detract from stories that should be heard.”

Bellamar alleged that Piven cornered her in his trailer on the Entourage set and grabbed her breasts without her consent. Directing her accusations directly at the actor, Bellamar tweeted, “I tried to leave; you grabbed me by the ass, looked at yourself in the mirror, and said what a ‘beautiful couple’ we made.” It is unclear if she is referring to the set of Entourage the television series or its movie sequel — Bellamar does not have a listed credit for either on IMDb. She also alleged that Piven harassed her a second time at the Playboy Mansion. Read the tweets below.

Piven currently stars on CBS’s Wisdom of the Crowd. The network issued its own statement: “We are aware of the media reports and are looking into the matter.”

HBO Releases Statement Regarding Jeremy Piven Allegations