Charisma Carpenter opens up about mistreatment from Joss Whedon

[Brian B]

People tend to forget that Joss Whedon was under a lot of pressure to perform. There was a moment where the man was writing for Buffy, Angel, and Firefly at the same time. These tv shows were his 'babies'. He doesn't want to see them get canceled. Actors can be assholes too. And when you are working sixteen-hour days on set, nice or not you're gonna snap on people.

The things Charisma allege that he said and did are harassment, period. He absolutely created a hostile work environment. The things he said to her could have been made to hold him, the production company and the network legally accountable, even 20 years ago. They were inexcusable. What kind of monster boss asks you if you’re keeping your baby? Stressed or not, Whedon’s actions are his own. Don’t make excuses. The other allegations, who knows? They aren’t specific enough for us to have a clue what they’re about.

[Brian B]

You are abusing yourself by working more than 60 hours a week. Keep it up and you are gonna take it out on someone. Give it time.

All the actors had to worry about was the acting. Joss Whedon had to worry about everything else that could go wrong on that set, including the acting. While also dealing with the looming threat of cancellation every season. That kind of pressure takes its toll on you.

My question to Charisma Carpenter: Why would you allow yourself to get pregnant at a time when Joss was threatening to fire you on multiple occasions?

In a work environment, it is 110% NOT the business of a boss to control a woman’s body, reproductive choices or medical choices. Even 20 years ago, the crap Whedon said to Charisma was inexcusable and legally actionable.

[CellarDweller]

My question to Charisma Carpenter: Why would you allow yourself to get pregnant at a time when Joss was threatening to fire you on multiple occasions?

Why Charisma "got" pregnant is no one's business but Charisma's and her job should not be put in jeopardy simply because she decided to become a mother.

[Common Writer]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

[CellarDweller]

It doesn't matter why she 'couldn't' wait. The only one who has the right to make that decision is Charisma.

In all the time that TV shows have existed, actresses have been pregnant during the run of their shows. The pregnancies have either been hidden behind props, through storylines, or have been written into the shows, so let's not act like Charisma's pregnancy was a first and it presented Whedon with a difficult problem, which justifies his behavior to her.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

Or maybe she was the only one at the time that was ready to start a family and the schedule of their shows had nothing to do with when they felt ready to start a family. Have you ever considered that?

If Charisma Carptenter wanted to start a family while working on Buffy/Angel then she had every right to do that.

Joss Whedon had no right at any point to treat her the way he did.

[80sbaby]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

The better, less sexist question is "Why should she have to?"

[DrNewGod]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

Writing a different story for Carpenter's pregnancy would be one thing. Telling Carpenter her pregnancy closes some story possibilities, and limits her screen time because her pregnancy has to be hidden since it doesn't work with where the story was taking Cordelia would be one thing.

Suggesting that she abort her child, and mocking her for her weight? That's something completely different.

[Kirby101]

I am gobsmacked at what Common Writer is arguing here. I could almost invoke Poe's Law if I didn't know he was serious. Dumbfounding.

[Powerboy]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

Because she chose not to. I don't even get the impression she was sure she would be able to stay on the show. I also don't get the impression that just this was the only problem she had with Whedon. She was probably wanting to give him a heads up so he could choose to write around her pregnancy, work it into the show. Nor do I get the impression that he said something like, "Congratulations! Relax. It's not going to affect your job. I know this is a delicate question and I apologize but I have to ask it. Are you planning to keep the baby? I know that's a horrible question but I have to know because I have to know what to write to deal with it".

That's not how she implied it came across. It was more like snapping, "Are you going to keep it?" implying that his only concern was how it would affect him.

I get that he was under a lot of stress but he seemed quite friendly with some people so he only selectively was a jerk. At any rate, a very, very sexist question.

[Powerboy]

Writing a different story for Carpenter's pregnancy would be one thing. Telling Carpenter her pregnancy closes some story possibilities, and limits her screen time because her pregnancy has to be hidden since it doesn't work with where the story was taking Cordelia would be one thing.

Suggesting that she abort her child, and mocking her for her weight? That's something completely different.

Yes and you would think that, considering the nature of the shows, he would welcome another subplot and possibly soap opera subplot that would add to to the shows.

For crying out loud, Lucy Lawless was pregnant and very obviously pregnant during a season of Xena and they worked around it and even used it to come up with some good episodes. And she was the main character. Granted, that her husband and the father was the executive producer made it kind of hard to blame her but still.

[Sacred Knight]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

Unless such a stipulation is directly written into a contract, this is absolutley and utterly irrelevant. It doesn't matter that no other female cast member got pregnant, nor whether it was something planned or unplanned. Pregnancies are either written into shows or hidden via filming trickery all the damn time. It didn't have to be a big deal either way. Whedon chose to make it such. Barring unforeseen pregnancy complications (which I'm sure can be stressful in the back of your mind but still not really likely, and indeed no problems arose here), worst case scenario if they really didn't want to write the pregnancy in would be to think up a reason to limit action sequences. And you don't even have to be creative to think of any number of reasons to explain that away in the plot for what really amounted to half a season.

[Kirby101]

If you are 'pro-women', you congratulate her, write shows around her pregnancy, help her to have a healthy, successful pregnancy, and make sure she stays employed. I mean she is not the main character, so it would not be that hard.

What you do not do if you are 'pro-women', is make it hard on her or add undue stress to her life.

[Brian B]

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pregnant during Buffy.

Alyson Hannigan was not pregnant during Buffy.

Emma Caulfield was not pregnant during Buffy.

Amy Acker was not pregnant during Angel.

Julie Benz was not pregnant during Buffy or Angel.

They all waited until after Buffy/Angel was over before they decided to start their own families.

Why couldn't Charisma Carpenter wait like everyone else?

Employers in this country, and most countries, do NOT get to choose when and if you have a child. Yes, women have choices.

[Brian B]

Unless such a stipulation is directly written into a contract, this is absolutley and utterly irrelevant. It doesn't matter that no other female cast member got pregnant, nor whether it was something planned or unplanned. Pregnancies are either written into shows or hidden via filming trickery all the damn time. It didn't have to be a big deal either way. Whedon chose to make it such.

Rights like that cannot be signed away in an employment contract, not legally. We had a civil war, ended in 1865, over things like that.