Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jesse Tyler Ferguson 'Appalled' By Audience Member's Nude Leak Of His 'Take Me Out' Castmates

Jesse Tyler Ferguson 'Appalled' By Audience Member's Nude Leak Of His 'Take Me Out' Castmates
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

The Broadway revival of the play Take Me Out has been a hot topic of conversation on social media in recent days, but it's not the production itself that has captured everyone's notice.

Rather, it's leaked nude videos of some of the play's stars during a scene that takes place in a locker room, with former Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams drawing particularly strong attention.


And another of the play's stars, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson, is speaking out in his costars' defense amid the furor over the mega-viral videos, which were illegally recorded by audience members.

Ferguson took to Twitter to express his anger at what he called "disrespect" of his costars' vulnerability.

See his statement below.

In a quote-tweet of the show's production company statement on the incident, Ferguson wrote:

"I'm appalled by the disrespect shown to the actors of our company whose vulnerability on stage [every] night is crucial to Take Me Out."
"Anyone who applauds or trivializes this behavior has no place in the theater which has always been a safe space for artists & audience members."

In a follow-up tweet, Ferguson addressed those whose sole interest in the Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer-nominated play is the single, brief scene in which they can get a glimpse of Williams in the nude.

"And truly, if nudity is what you are coming for...you are in for a long boring night.
"It's within a challenging 2 and a half hour play with big ideas, beautiful language & remarkable acting from a company of 11 actors that you will have to sit thru as well."
"You'll be bored. Trust."

Far from the sort of Magic Mike-esque show the leaked videos may lead people to expect, Take Me Out tells the story of a major-league baseball player coming out as gay to his teammates and coach.

Such an event was as yet unknown in professional sports at the time of its writing and first production, and the play was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for its groundbreaking subject matter.

The current revival garnered four Tony Award nominations yesterday, including Best Actor noms for both Ferguson and Williams.

On Twitter, many applauded Ferguson for speaking out.







Actor's Equity, the trade union for theatre artists, has joined Ferguson in condemning the videos, calling them “sexual harassment and an appalling breach of consent."

More from Trending

Serena Williams; Coco Gauff
Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty Images; Robert Prange/Getty Images

Serena Williams Offers Cheeky Advice To Coco Gauff After She Smashed Her Racket Following Australian Open Loss

There's no better person to take advice from than someone who's gone through exactly what you're going through right now. Having four Olympic Gold medals might not hurt, either.

While participating in the Australian Open quarterfinals, tennis star Coco Gauff was moved to tears when she lost the competition to Elina Svitolina. But the cameras kept rolling after she stepped off the court, revealing that she smashed her tennis racket out of frustration once alone in the back halls of the athletic center.

Keep ReadingShow less
TikToker Romeo Bingham; Dr. Pepper
@romeosshow/TikTok; Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images

People Are Floored After Dr. Pepper Actually Uses TikToker's Catchy Jingle In Commercial

Let's be real: You'll never get what you want if you don't shoot your shot.

That was what TikToker Romeo Bingham decided when she was bored and suddenly came up with the idea for a new jingle for Dr. Pepper.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jennifer Grey Shares Poignant Thoughts After 'Dirty Dancing' Sequel Is Set To Start Filming—And Fans Are Thrilled
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Getty Images

Jennifer Grey Shares Poignant Thoughts After 'Dirty Dancing' Sequel Is Set To Start Filming—And Fans Are Thrilled

In 1987, audiences had the time of their lives when Dirty Dancing hit theaters. Nearly 40 years later, that story is officially stepping back onto the dance floor.

Lionsgate announced Tuesday, January 27, that Jennifer Grey will reprise her role as Frances “Baby” Houseman in an upcoming Dirty Dancing sequel. The project will be produced by The Hunger Games and Crazy Rich Asians producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, with filming expected to begin later this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
TikTok logo
illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images

TikTok Now Claims A 'Power Outage' Is To Blame For The App's Massive Glitches—But The Internet Isn't So Sure

The new owners of U.S. TikTok—American investors to satisfy safety concerns about the app created by the Chinese technology company ByteDance—have an explanation for ongoing problems experienced by users beginning Sunday morning.

For context, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump infamously ranted about the app and vowed to permanently ban it from the United States during his first term in office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Megyn Kelly; Picture of Alex Pretti from memorial
The Megyn Kelly Show; Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Megyn Kelly Slammed After Boasting About Why She Doesn't 'Feel Sorry' For ICE Shooting Victim Alex Pretti

Right-wing talk show host Megyn Kelly was slammed after she shared her reasons for not feeling "sorry" for ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by ICE agents over the weekend.

Calls for an investigation have intensified from across the political spectrum after analysis of multiple videos showed ICE officers removing a handgun from Pretti—a weapon that authorities said Pretti was permitted to carry but was not handling at the time—before fatally shooting him.

Keep ReadingShow less