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Westworld’s Evan Rachel Wood faces backlash for branding Kobe Bryant ‘rapist’ hours after death


Evan has faced backlash after her comments (Pictures: Getty)

Westworld’s Evan Rachel Wood has faced major backlash for claiming that basketball legend Kobe Bryant was a rapist hours after his death.

After Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna tragically passed away in a helicopter crash, Evan expressed her thoughts on Twitter.

‘What has happened is tragic,’ she wrote. ‘I am heartbroken for Kobe’s family. He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously.’

The 32-year-old added: ‘Beloveds, this was not a condemnation or a celebration. It was a reminder that everyone will have different feelings and there is room for us all to grieve together instead of fighting.

‘Everyone has lost. Everyone will be triggered, so please show kindness and respect to all.’

Following the tweets, Evan was slammed, with one person claiming that she’s turning the #MeToo movement ‘into a joke’.

‘This is an absolutely disgusting comment that reeks of white feminism, narcissism and veiled racism. You took this tragedy and made it about yourself,’ another added.

One more told her: ‘A 13 year old has just died, a mother has lost her child, three others are also gone. Maybe now is not the time.’

‘All of these truths can exist simultaneously’ (Picture: Twitter/EvanRachelWood)

However, others supported the star for her comments, with one saying: ‘She isn’t saying he doesn’t deserve to be mourned, she’s implying that sometimes our heroes don’t always act heroically and we need to acknowledge those moments as well.’

Another claimed: ‘The fact that so many people here dont care about consent is so concerning. Kobe was terrible, and of story.’

Back in 2003, a 19-year-old woman filed sexual assault charges against Bryant, claiming he’d raped her at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, Colorado.

The woman alleged that after giving Bryant, then 27, a tour of the hotel, they started consensually kissing, before the basketball star began to ‘choke her’.

Kobe tragically died in a helicopter crash (Picture: Getty Images)

Bryant initially denied having any sexual contact with the woman, but after he was told physical evidence was found, including semen, he admitted to having had sex with her but claimed it was consensual.

The charges, which could have caused the basketball star to spend life in prison, were later dropped by prosecutors but a civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

At the time, Bryant issued an apology, saying he believed the ‘encounter’ to have been consensual.

He said: ‘First, I want to apologise directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologise to her for my behaviour that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure.

Evan was accused of turning the #MeToo movement ‘into a joke’ (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I also want to apologise to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colo. I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case.

‘Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognise now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

I issue this statement today fully aware that while one part of this case ends today, another remains.

‘I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado.’

Tributes have been pouring in after Bryant’s death, with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Jenner, Rihanna and Jimmy Fallon sharing messages for the late Lakers star.

Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Evan for comment.



Victim Support

Victim Support offers support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. You can contact them on 0333 300 6389.

MORE: Kobe Bryant was a hero to millions, but we should not erase the rape allegations against him

MORE: Inside the dropped Kobe Bryant rape case – what happened in 2003?





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