Comedian Jerry Lewis Accused Of Sexual Harassment & Assault By Co-Stars
WARNING: This article contains discussion of sexual harassment and assault.
In recent interviews, former female co-stars of Jerry Lewis have recounted allegations of sexual harassment and assault at the hands of the comedian. Lewis was influential for his zany physical comedy in such films as The Bellboy (1960) and The Nutty Professor (1963), and was a noted humanitarian, working with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and hosting their MDA Labor Day Telethon for decades. Lewis began his career as part of a musical-comedy duo with Dean Martin, but parted ways in 1959 to pursue a solo act with a 7-year, $10 million contract with Paramount Studios, the biggest deal of its kind made with any actor at the time.
The interviews on Lewis' past were conducted by Emmy-winning filmmakers, Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, initially as part of their research into Old Hollywood. The pair have dealt with the subject of predators in the film industry before, most recently in Allen v. Farrow, an HBO documentary which details the allegations made against Woody Allen and his abuse of his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Ziering and Dick were interviewing older actors about Hollywood's unfortunately storied history of abuse when a deluge of accusations emerged about Lewis' transgressions.
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The collection of interviews were initially given to Vanity Fair in the hopes that the women's voices could be heard, despite no legal action being able to be taken against Lewis, having passed away in 2017. Actor Karen Sharpe, who was courted by Lewis himself to co-star in 1964's The Disorderly Orderly after she'd initially turned it down by tripling her salary, recounts being
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