'This Is Us' Star Justin Hartley Alleges He Was Sexually Harassed by a Fan
Justin Hartley is no stranger to being bombarded by fans both on and off-screen, as likened by his This Is Us character, famous TV actor Kevin Pearson.
But the star recently found himself slightly disturbed in real life -- by one fan in particular. He tells GoodHousekeeping.com that he was out enjoying a meal with friends at a Chicago restaurant, when an aggressive fan approached him.
"I’m not afraid to say this, because I think she should be ashamed of herself. This woman -- who I don’t know, a stranger to me -- recognized me and started screaming, going crazy. She ran over and started kissing me," Hartley, 41, claims.
While he couldn't recall the woman's exact appearance, he said she was "old enough to be drinking a lot." Hartley claims he immediately tried to make it clear his personal space had just been violated by backing away and requested that the fan do the same.
"I said, ‘You do not walk up to people that you do not know and put your mouth on their face. If I did that to you, I would be in prison. Please do not do that. And not that I’m trying to teach you life lessons, but I feel like this is a really good one for you. Don’t do that to anybody ever again,'" the actor recalls.
He continued, saying that the unnamed woman then seemed embarrassed, but "everything calmed down." He was able to resume his meal, but the awkward encounter didn't end there. Hartley claims the woman approached him again, this time requesting a photo with the star, which he politely declined.
"I said, ‘I’m good,'" he states. "I’m usually really good with photos, but I’m, like, ‘I’m not taking photos with you after you sexually harassed me. I’m good without a photo.’"
Hartley said his response to her request didn't go over well, adding, "As she was leaving, she was like, ‘Justin Hartley is a jerk,’ but not really 'jerk' -- something more foul," he clarified. "I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’"
Just weeks away from shooting season three of the hit NBC show, Hartley recently shared with ET a bit of what fans can expect to see from his character in future episodes.
"I think he's retracing some of his father's footsteps a little bit and trying to find clues and get information and things that he doesn't quite know about," he said.
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