BuzzFeed News’ Susan Cheng published a piece Monday alleging that “Mad Men” actor Paul Johansson sexually harassed her during an interview at the site’s offices in late April. But the actor’s publicist Cheryl McLean, who was present, disputed Cheng’s claims in an interview with TheWrap, saying the women at the shoot acted like fans, not journalists.
“At no point did the interview get out of hand where, as a professional publicist, I felt I needed to take him out of the room,” McClean told TheWrap. “There was nothing inappropriate going on.”
Cheng’s piece claimed that the actor joked, “I’m sweating like a rapist,” repeatedly put his hand on Cheng’s back and when shown the conference room said, “Do you ever take people in there and make out with them?”
But McLean recalled a very different scene during the shoot than what was described by Cheng, an editorial assistant.