2 Women Accuse Chris Noth of Sexual Assault

Actor Chris Noth of Sex and the City and Law and Order fame has been accused of sexual assault by two women who spoke to the Hollywood Reporter. The 67-year-old actor flatly denies the allegations. The women use pseudonyms. Zoe, 40, says Noth assaulted her in Los Angeles in 2004 when she was 22. Lily, 31, says her assault took place in New York City in 2015 when she was 25. THR says the women do not know each other and approached the outlet separately.

• Noth statement: “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false," he says in a statement sent to media outlets, including NBC News. "These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago—no always means no—that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.” (Noth has been making headlines lately because of a surprise plot twist in the new SATC movie.)

• Zoe: She worked for a "high-profile firm" in L.A. that dealt with celebrities, including Noth. She says he struck up a flirty relationship that led to her being in his apartment. There, she says, he raped her, refusing to stop when she asked and refusing to wear a condom. She says she went to the hospital afterward with blood on her shirt and said she'd been assaulted, then spoke to police but did not identify Noth. THR speaks to her friends (including a woman who accompanied Zoe to the hospital) and her former boss at the time who corroborate the story.
• Lily: Now a journalist, she worked as a server at the time, and says she accepted Noth's invitation to dinner and afterward, to visit his apartment. "He kept trying and trying and trying (to make out), and I should have said no more firmly and left," she says. "And then the next thing I knew, he pulled down his pants and he was standing in front of me.” In THR's words, "he thrust his penis in her mouth" and then began intercourse. "I was kind of crying as it happened," she says, adding that she felt "totally violated" afterward. A friend tells THR that a "hysterical" Lily called her that night and told her that Noth "pretty forcibly" had sex with her, but that Lily rejected her advice to go to police.
• Texts: THR looked at texts between the two afterward. "I have to ask did you enjoy our night last week," wrote Noth. "I thought it was a lot of fun but I wasn’t quite sure how you felt.” Lily replied: “Hmm…I certainly enjoyed your company. Great conversation. Not to go into specifics over text message, but I did feel slightly used… Perhaps this is better as a phone conversation but I can’t talk at the moment.” Noth suggested another meeting, but they never met again.

(More Chris Noth stories.)