President of Republic Records Group Charlie Walk, best known to the viewing public as a judge on Fox’s musical competition show The Four, was accused Monday of sexual misconduct in an open letter written by a former employee. Tristan Coopersmith, founder of women’s wellness studio Life Lab, posted the allegations to the studio’s website in an essay entitled “#MeToo: An Open Letter to Charlie Walk.” Writes Coopersmith, “For a year I shuddered at the idea of being called into your office, where you would stealthily close the door and make lewd comments about my body and share your fantasies of having sex with me.” She also alleges that Walk would send her lewd sexual messages throughout the work day and grope her surreptitiously. “Then there was that event at your swank pad when you actually cornered me and pushed me into your bedroom and onto your bed,” adding, “The bed you shared with your wife … your wife who was in the room next door. You being drunk and me being 6 inches taller was my saving grace.”
Eventually, Coopersmith says she attempted to report Walk to his “counterpart” at the label, but was offered the opportunity to leave instead. “He wasn’t surprised,” she says of the unnamed exec she met with. “He told me that there was nothing I could do about it, but that he would help me coordinate a graceful exit if I wanted. I was paid to keep my mouth shut and my reputation intact. I’m ashamed of that piece but it’s a truthful part of my story.” You can read Coopersmith’s essay in full here. Variety reached out to Universal Music Group, the parent company of Walk’s Republic Records, about the allegations. They replied in a statement, “While it appears this blog post relates to the period prior to Mr. Walk’s appointment to his position at Republic Records, we take the allegations very seriously and intend to conduct a full and complete review of this matter.”
Update: Walk responded to Coopersmith’s accusation on Monday night, calling it completely false. “It is very upsetting to learn of this untrue allegation made by someone who worked with me 15 years ago, without incident,” he said, according to Deadline. “There has never been a single HR claim against me at any time during my 25+ year career, spanning three major companies. I have consistently been a supporter of the women’s movement and this is the first time I have ever heard of this or any other allegation — and it is false.”
