The Real World and its spinoffs never seemed like the healthiest of environments, but now Tonya Cooley claims that she was raped by her Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins castmates while producers watched, and kept the cameras running.
Cooley, who was originally part of the 11th season in Chicago, has filed a lawsuit against MTV, Bunim/Murray Productions and castmates Kenneth Santucci and Evan Starkman. She claims that while she was passed out the two men, “took another male participant’s toothbrush and rubbed the toothbrush around plaintiff’s genitals, including rubbing her labia and inserting the toothbrush into plaintiff’s vagina.” She says producers were well aware of what had happened and even replaced the toothbrush, but they never told her what happened.
Cooley also alleges that while female cast members were taking off their bathing suits, producers encouraged the guys to “inappropriately touch female cast members’ bodies, including in intimate areas.” She says that the women reported the sexual abuse, but the higher-ups did nothing. Later she was kicked off the show for slapping someone, but nothing happened to the guys.
We know that at least for The Real World, contracts stipulate that if you get sexually assaulted while on the show, that’s your problem, not MTV’s.
UPDATE: A Bunim/Murray Productions spokesperson says: “After a thorough investigation, we have found Tonya Cooley’s claims to be completely baseless.”
‘REAL WORLD’ CAST MEMBER SUES ‘I Was Raped With a Toothbrush’ [TMZ]
Earlier: Real World Contracts Stipulate That You Could Die And MTV’s Not To Blame
GET JEZEBEL RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
