Nicholas Brendon, known for his role as Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has been accused of grooming a teenage girl.
The American Actor died on March 20 aged 54 – his family said he ‘passed in his sleep of natural causes’.
Brendon allegedly began texting a 17-year-old from South Carolina in 2013 after they met at a comic con event in Washington DC.
She claims she had always wanted to be an actor, so asked to give Brendon her number with the hope he could help her out.
After the texts became flirty, the now 30-year-old admits being ‘smitten as s**t’.
She told Page Six: ‘I remember he was at this ski or snowboarding resort, and it was cold, and he was talking about flying me there so we could cuddle and keep warm together.’
Although she says he ‘didn’t start off asking for nudes right away’, she claims he eventually did.
Speaking to the publication, she said: ‘I was like, “Bro, I’m 17.” I was stupid enough to be like, “I don’t want you to get in trouble for having nudes of a 17-year-old on your phone.” And he goes: “It’s OK, you’re the age of consent. Just send me the nudes.” He actually looked up the age of consent [in South Carolina].’
When she sent the pictures which covered some parts of her body, she alleges that he requested more and told her it was ‘not enough’.
Furthermore, she claims he said: “I’m famous. I’m giving you attention. You should be doing what I ask you to do.”
After she described trying to ‘appease’ him, the woman says he ‘ghosted’ her. She was left ‘devastated’ and is convinced her alleged experience with Brendon has had an impact on her romantic relationships since.
Page Six says this woman is one of the 9,000 members of a Nicholas Brendon Awareness Facebook group.
The description for the group, seen by Metro, says: ‘A place to spread awareness to the public about Nicholas Brendon’s abuse of women and the fandom.’
Things changed for the alleged victim when she came across a TikTok from an account called Slay the Silence, run by Sarah Allison.
She is an advocate for domestic violence survivors, and claims that Brendon abused her when they were dating – Brendon never addressed her claims.
What to do if you’re experiencing domestic abuse
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you are not alone. And whether you are currently coping with or have made the decision to leave, you do have options.
- If you are thinking about leaving, domestic abuse charity Refuge suggests starting a record of abusive incidents, which might include saving pictures or messages, or making notes of times, dates and details of incidents.
- The next step is to make copies of important documents such as court orders, marriage certificates, National Insurance Numbers and your driving licence.
- In the meantime, identify the safer areas of your home so that you know where to go if your abuser becomes aggravated. Ideally, this should be a room with a phone and a door or window to the outside.
- If you feel ready to leave, start by making a plan for a safe, reliable route out. If you feel safe to do so, pack an emergency bag so that you leave in a hurry if needed.
- You can access a local refuge, either with or without children, for as long as you need to stay. The address is confidential. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) is open 24-hours a day and has all the details of refuges in your area.
- In an emergency situation, ring 999 and ask for the police. If you aren’t able to talk, try the Silent Solution: after dialling 999, listen to the questions from the operator and respond by coughing or tapping your device, if possible. If prompted, press 55 to let the operator know it’s an emergency – you’ll be put through to the police.
Read more here.
After seeing Allison’s videos, the 30-year-old said: ‘I really reflected and realised, “Oh, I was really groomed. This was worse than I had thought it was.”’
After his role in the vampire series, Brendon had various run-ins with the law. In 2020 he was given three years of probation as part of a plea deal and told to complete a 52-week domestic violence course and 20 hours of community service after pleading guilty to attacking his girlfriend, as reported by CBS News.
He also had substance abuse issues and checked into rehab on multiple occasions.
Metro has reached out to Brendon’s representatives for comment.
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