Andrew Callaghan, host of the man-on-the-street interview YouTube series “Channel 5” and director of the HBO Max documentary “This Place Rules,” released a video on Sunday apologizing and addressing accusations of sexual misconduct made against him this past week.
Days after the premiere of “This Place Rules” — which explores the web of far-right conspiracy theories and interviewed podcasters and alt-right media personalities that have spawned from these theories, including InfoWars host Alex Jones — a woman named Caroline Elise released a video on TikTok accusing Callaghan of making repeated requests for sex at her house, with her finally agreeing after refusing several times before because he “wore her down.” A second woman came forward on TikTok days later, accusing Callaghan of pressuring her into having sex.
“It’s even more hard to have to relive the trauma that I endured every single day by seeing this man as a social justice warrior, as someone who cares about human rights, get a platform,” Elise said. “You shouldn’t be supporting him.”
In a video posted on a new YouTube page separate from “Channel 5,” Callaghan said that some of the stories about him being told online were “not true” and “missing important contextual information,” though he did not specify which ones. But Callaghan also apologized “to anyone I’ve done wrong by” and said that he would step away from “Channel 5” to seek therapy and enter the Alcoholics Anonymous program.
“I hadn’t realized I had had this pattern that had affected multiple people. I’d like to apologize for my silence. When this stuff first came out, I was in a state of denial and shock,” Callaghan said in the video.“I was denounced by my closest collaborators and my name was printed in 40 different news outlets, next to the words ‘sexual misconduct.’ I just kind of spiraled into a mental health crisis.”
“I’m OK now, but I don’t really think this is about me. This is about the people I’ve affected,” he continued. “So I just want to express my complete sympathy, support and respect for anyone that I’ve done wrong by. I really want to do better and be fully accountable for everything that I’ve done.”
Callaghan also specifically addressed claims that he repeatedly asked for sex from women even after they refused.
“I’ve always taken ‘no’ for an answer, as far as consent. I’ve never overstepped that line. But I think I want to have a more nuanced and important conversation about power dynamics, pressure and coercion,” Callaghan said. “For a long time, I was behaving in a way that I actually thought was normal. I thought that going home from the bar alone made you a loser. I thought that persistence was a form of flattery… I want to be fully responsible for not having a fluid understanding of consent.”
This past Thursday, writer and comedian Tim Heidecker, who served as an executive producer on “This Place Rules,” responded to the allegations by saying that he and his studio Abso Lutely “have no professional relationship with Andrew at this time and have no plans going forward to have any relationship with him.”
“I feel terrible that this film now has these allegations tied to it because some very good people worked very hard on it. But it’s just a movie, and I want to say we believe these women that came forward and, of course, totally condemn the type of behavior that Andrew’s being accused of,” Heidecker said on his “Office Hours” podcast.
Callaghan apologized to his “Channel 5” and “This Place Rules” crew and viewers at the end of his video: “You guys don’t deserve this and I love you guys. That said, If you never want to watch Channel 5 again, I understand.”