Actor and musician Jared Leto, lead singer of Thirty Seconds to Mars, is accused of abuse, assault and sexual harassment by several women who were minors at the time of the alleged incidents, according to a BBC documentary premiering today.
According to a report shared today on the public broadcaster’s official website, four of the women interviewed in the documentary “Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Darkest Secret” accuse the artist of criminal sexual conduct, with the alleged incidents occurring between 2002 and 2016. Leto, now 54, would have been between 30 and 40 years old at the time, while the alleged victims were teenagers.
One woman said she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom when she was 17. Another said Leto threatened her with sexual assault after she unexpectedly found herself alone with him in a hotel room at age 19. A third woman said she had a sexual relationship with the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman when she was 17, which is legally classified as statutory rape under California law.
Another woman said she was manipulated by Leto when she was 16, alleging that he used his fame to make repeated calls to her containing sexually explicit content.
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That same woman later received a nondisclosure agreement that would have prevented her from discussing her relationship with the artist. The BBC says it reviewed the document, which the woman declined to sign.
Beyond these accounts, four additional women reported receiving strange, often sexually charged phone calls from Leto when they were younger. In total, ten women shared their stories with the BBC.
The British broadcaster says it reviewed photographs and messages corroborating the women’s accounts, and that their testimonies were confirmed by friends and family members. In addition to the alleged victims, the documentary includes testimony from two people who worked with Leto’s band. The BBC says it attempted to contact Leto, but he did not respond to the allegations.
“Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Darkest Secret” airs today at 9 p.m. on BBC Three and 10:40 p.m. on BBC One, and will also be available on the British broadcaster’s streaming platform.
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The allegations detailed in the BBC documentary add to a separate set of accusations published in June of last year by the American online outlet Air Mail. At the time, nine women accused Leto of inappropriate sexual conduct while they were teenagers, with some describing his behavior as predatory, frightening and unacceptable. Leto denied those allegations.
Leto first gained recognition as an actor in the 1990s through the television series “My So-Called Life,” starring alongside Claire Danes. His film career has included roles in “Dallas Buyers Club,” which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, along with “Mr. Nobody,” “Morbius” and “Suicide Squad.”
In 1998, Leto founded Thirty Seconds to Mars alongside his brother Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic. The band, which released its self-titled debut album in 2002, has performed in Portugal several times, both at festivals and as a headlining act.
Its most recent Portuguese performance took place last July at the Marés Vivas Festival in Vila Nova de Gaia. The band is scheduled to return to Portugal next year for a concert in Lisbon at MEO Arena on April 6, as part of its “A Beautiful Lie vs This Is War” tour.
