Four Women Accuse Oscar-Winner Jared Leto of Sexual Crimes Against Minors

Four women have accused Oscar-winning actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct, with allegations suggesting the incidents occurred when the accusers were teenagers. One woman claims she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom at age 17. Another reported that Leto threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 and alone with him in a hotel room. A third woman alleges she had sexual relations with Leto in California at age 17, which would constitute statutory rape given the state's age of consent. She states Leto downplayed concerns about the age of consent, which is 18 in California. The fourth accuser alleges Leto engaged in grooming, abusing his celebrity status to make repeated sexually explicit calls when she was 16, even suggesting sexual relations. She was later offered a non-disclosure agreement, which she refused. In total, ten women provided testimony for a BBC documentary, with nine sharing their stories publicly for the first time. All these women report encountering Leto between 2002 and 2016, when he was in his 30s and early 40s; he is now 54. The BBC corroborated several accounts through friends and family informed at the time, and in some cases, through photos and messages. Two former male employees of Leto's band also reported discomfort with his interactions with teenage girls, sometimes inviting them backstage or to his recording spaces. Leto has not responded to the BBC's requests for comment on these accusations.