Comedian and actor Chris D’Elia posted a 10-minute YouTube video Friday in which he addressed the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him last summer, stating that he has a “problem” and that sex “controlled” his life. However, he maintained that all of his relationships have been consensual and legal.
“I have a chance to apologize here, to the people who got caught up in that shit,” D’Elia said. “The lies that I would tell my fiancé, my friends — I’m sorry.”
In June 2020, D’Elia began trending on social media on after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct when they were underage, with some being as young as 16 at the time of the alleged encounters. Many alleged that he sent inappropriate messages and attempted to solicit nude photos from them, with one woman accusing him of trying to groom her. Shortly after the allegations came to light, D’Elia released a short statement and was subsequently dropped by his talent agency CAA. Besides a brief statement denying the allegations in June, D’Elia has not commented further until now.
In his Friday video, D’Elia said he was seeking treatment for his problem with sex. “It was the focus, it was my focus all the time. And I had a problem and I do have a problem. It’s not like, months down the line everything’s better. I need to do work on that.”
D’Elia added that his “life-controlling” problem derailed his relationships, saying that he cheated on most of the women he had been with, including his fiancé, whom he called his “dream girl.” He said he has been “doing the work” to be a better role model for his son and has been in recovery for the past couple of months.
While known for his stand-up comedy, D’Elia most recently appeared in the second season of “You,” where he portrayed a comedian who sexually abuses girls.
Watch the full video below.
