Writer: Rolling Stone Publisher Offered Me Work for Sex

In 2005, Rolling Stone co-founder and publisher Jann Wenner invited writer Ben Ryan, then 27, to his office and offered him an assignment for Men's Journal. Later, Ryan tells BuzzFeed, Wenner invited him to his townhouse, made him a drink—and abruptly stuck his tongue in Ryan's mouth. When Ryan made it clear he wasn't interested, he says Wenner "got very upset and was pseudo-threatening of how bad it could be if this got out." Then, as Ryan tried to leave, Wenner offered him a writing contract if he changed his mind. "He pawed and groped and I insisted no but he persisted promising me a '25 article contract' in the most disingenuous voice," Ryan wrote in his journal at the time. Four of Ryan's friends confirm he told them the story after it happened. Wenner says in a statement that all he did was "flirt." More developments in Hollywood's sexual misconduct scandal, including an accusation against producer Gary Goddard:

• In a Medium post, Anthony Edwards says producer Gary Goddard molested him when he was a child. Goddard acted as a "sick father figure" to a young Edwards and his friends. "I was molested by Goddard, my best friend was raped by him—and this went on for years. The group of us, the gang, stayed quiet," Edwards writes.
• Brett Ratner is already at the center of multiple allegations, and in a Facebook post, Ellen Page shares her story. She says the director told a co-star 10 years Page's senior that the woman "should f---" Page, who was 18 at the time and filming X-Men: The Last Stand, "to make her realize she's gay." She says Ratner outed her and made her feel violated, and also recalls other "degrading" things he said to and about women on set. She says she was "reprimanded" by producers for refusing to don a "Team Ratner" shirt. Her post also reveals misbehavior by other unnamed members of the entertainment industry, including a director who fondled her leg, a grip who assaulted her, and a director who asked her to sleep with a much older man and tell him about it—all when Page was 16.
• Celebrity hotelier André Balazs is being accused of groping by several women, including actress Amanda Anka, who says Balazs grabbed her crotch under her dress at a dinner party in 2014; others who were in attendance, including her husband, Jason Bateman, corroborate the account. The New York Times has her story and accusations from other women.

• Accusations of inappropriate conduct are piling up against Steven Seagal, the AV Club reports. After Portia de Rossi came forward, Julianna Margulies, Katherine Heigl, and Jenny McCarthy have accused him of actions ranging from inappropriate comments and threats to groping.
• The repercussions are starting for Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick, who has been accused of rape by two women. Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence, a BBC One drama starring Westwick originally scheduled to air over the holidays, has been shelved "until these matters are resolved," the BBC reports. Westwick has also taken a break from filming BBC Two comedy White Gold "while he deals with these allegations," per a BBC rep.
• Actress Lucy Faust tells TooFab she was harassed by a director early in her career. "I was involved in a film a long time ago and the director wanted me to do something, just dress a certain way and act a certain way for this scene. I was just starting out and I said, 'You know this is not what I signed up for,' and I said, 'I'm not going to do it.'" She says she was told, "You're making a big mistake."
• The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is forming a task force to investigate claims of sexual harassment and assault, Fox News reports. "In response to the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, I have established a task force of specially trained deputy district attorneys who are ready to evaluate these cases if any are referred to my office for criminal prosecution," says DA Jackie Lacey.

(More Jann Wenner stories.)