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George Stroumboulopoulos and Ed the Sock share powerful messages for abuse victims

by Mark Teo

Over the last several weeks, the Jian Ghomeshi scandal has been inescapable. But for the anguish—and the sometimes toxic discussion—that’s followed the scandal, there have been constructive conversations surrounding the controversy: Certain celebrities, like Owen Pallet, noted that we shouldn’t get lost in the details—Ghomeshi, he repeatedly reminded us, allegedly beat women. Others openly pointed to the silent complicity of the CBC throughout the scandal as an embodiment of rape culture. And when the police became involved, with Police Chief Bill Blair urging victims to come forward, discussions turned towards the difficulties many victims face when coming forward to the authorities. The conversations haven’t been easy, but it’s arguable that they’re essential.

Of course, plenty of questions have swirled around the media, too—especially after the Toronto Star revealed that Western University discouraged its students from taking Q internships. Was Ghomeshi’s status in Canadian media one of the reasons he was allegedly able to abuse his power? Was it the reason his employers turned a blind eye to allegations of sexual harrassment? What did his peers think?

On that last question, we’re getting a cleared picture. Two of his peers—long-time Canadian media personality Ed the Sock and George Stroumboulopoulos, one of Ghomeshi’s ex-coworkers at the CBC—have made public statements about the scandal. Ed the Sock, voiced by Steven Kerzner, took to Facebook, condemning the predatory nature of Ghomeshi’s alleged actions.

“I’ve been a media figure for 27 years. I’ve had very successful series run for multiple seasons. One of those series involved scantily-clad dancers, hot tub performers and occasional porn stars,” he wrote on Facebook. “Somehow, I never groped an ass, stared at boobs or made filthy remarks to women. Yes, it can be done, you just have to see people doing their jobs as people and not game pieces for your Monopoly board.

“Example of the former—when visiting his production office, I once saw George Stroumboulopoulos personally offer a kosher pizza place money to deliver all the way downtown from Thornhill, so that an Orthodox Jewish intern would not be excluded from a staff pizza party. An intern. Contrast that with ‘hate-fuck.'”

Strombo, meanwhile, without directly naming names, addressed the issue on The George Stroumboulopoulos show. After expressing his “support and love to all the women who came forward,” he clarified his stance on the issue.

“And further to that, I hope we’ve all learned the value of creating a safer space for victims, so they don’t have to hide or fear backlash,” he addded. “Men need to talk about this with each other, it’s important. If you’ve experienced domestic violence or sexual harassment at work, there are people who can help.”

Read Ed the Sock’s full Facebook statement here. [H/T Huffington Post]