Woman Claims She Was Raped On MTV Show
By Wyatt Earp | October 30, 2011
And believe it or not, the show wasn’t “Jersey Shore.”
Tonya Cooley, a cast member on several of MTV’s “Real World/Road Rules” challenges, has filed a lawsuit against MTV, Bunim/Murray Productions, and cast members Kenneth “Kenny” Santucci and Evan Starkman alleging that she was raped while cameras were rolling for 2009’s “The Ruins.”
Cooley alleges in her lawsuit that Santucci and Starkman “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” while she was unconscious.
Remember when MTV only showed music videos instead of highly-sexualized reality shows? Good times.
Even more shocking, Cooley claims that “producers not only knew about the rape, they even replaced the toothbrush, but never told her what happened,” according to TMZ. Cooley squarely places blame on the producers of the series, who allegedly encouraged male cast members to “inappropriately touch female cast members’ bodies, including in intimate areas,” TMZ reports.
Disgusting, but I can’t say that I’m shocked.
Topics: WTF? | 9 Comments »
October 30th, 2011 at 9:48 am
Howdy Wyatt! How is it that Ms. Cooley was unconscious, do you know (the link doesn’t say)? I wonder, if her story is true, whether or not MTV supplies the “roofies” which rendered her unconscious or whether she rendered herself unconscious?
In any event, the conduct of Santucci and Starkman, again, if true, was totally criminal and offensive, to put it very mildly.
I don’t know Ms. Cooley and don’t think I’ve ever seen her on any TV shows or movies, but IF HER STORY IS TRUE, the fact that she was unconscious doesn’t give ANYONE the right to abuse her and if Santucci and Starkman did this at the behest of MTV then they, the camera or videographer AND MTV all ought to be facing criminal charges.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:57 am
The rape charges by them self are troubling enough, and it seems to be damaging if true, but as realwest says, how was she rendered unconscious?
I am so glad I grew to hate these reality shows.
What agreement does a “contestant” sign and what legal standing would it have? She may have signed her rights away?!?!
October 30th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Real – It doesn’t say how she became unconscious, but if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that MTV better hope it didn’t dispose of any alleged evidence.
Danny – Hopefully not her right to be protected from rape.
October 30th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Well speaking of JS, in the case of Snookie – you can’t rape the willing. heh.
October 30th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Dannytheman – I don’t think you CAN sign away your rights to be treated fairly under any criminal justice law in any jurisdiction in our Nation.
If you sign a document saying that people have the right to take sexual advantage of you, then, other than being incredibly STUPID, you’d be lacking the necessaries to be complaining about it now.
IF WHAT she says happened, then as I said, Santucci and Starkman and MTV should receive the ultimate penalites provided at law for such conduct.
October 30th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Smite – Well, I wouldn’t say she’s willing. She just looks the other way. Zing!
Real – If it happened, I hope these two get the maximum penalty.
October 30th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Ditto for the producer, crew, etc. who acquiesced in this.
October 30th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
“Reality” television at it’s finest.
October 31st, 2011 at 8:32 am
They were only trying to ‘brush up’ on sex?