Sex and the City star Chris Noth denies allegations of sexual assault by two women; LAPD ‘looking into nature of report’

December 17, 2021 - 10:31 AM IST

Actor Chris Noth has been accused of alleged sexual assault by two women. The Sex and the City star has denied the allegations, asserting that the encounters were consensual. The Los Angeles Police Department is "looking into the nature of" a report about sexual assault allegations against Chris Noth.

Sex and the City star Chris Noth denies allegations of sexual assault by two women; LAPD ‘looking into nature of report’

An LAPD spokesperson told PEOPLE tabloid that they are "looking into the nature of the report," adding that they are trying to figure out "when, where or even if a report was filed." The LAPD is involved in one case, not both.

Chris Noth's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, on Thursday said, "No one from any law enforcement agency has contacted Chris or any of his representatives. Obviously if anyone does reach out, we will cooperate fully."

Noth said in a statement on Thursday to Rolling Stone that, "The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”

In a detailed report by The Hollywood Reporter, Noth is accused of sexual assault by two separate women, who spoke anonymously to the publication in order to protect their privacy. The women, who do not know each other, spoke under the pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31. Zoe, who still works in the entertainment industry, has alleged rape. She said that her assault occurred in 2004 in Los Angeles. Lily, who now works as a journalist, said she was assaulted by Noth in 2015 in New York City.

After graduating college in 2004, Zoe, who was 22 at the time, moved to Los Angeles and was working an entry-level entertainment job where Noth and other celebrities regularly conducted business. According to the report, Noth invited Zoe to the pool at his apartment building in West Hollywood. In his apartment, Zoe alleged that Noth kissed her as she stepped through the door and then pulled her toward him, moved her toward the bed and began to rape her. A friend of Zoe’s anonymously corroborated the alleged attack, saying that the two went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to say she had been assaulted, but did not mention Noth’s name out of fear of retaliation from a celebrity.

Lily, who was 25 at the time, said that she met Noth, then 60, when she was a server in the VIP section at the New York nightclub No. 8. Noth got her number, asked her out and they went to dinner at Il Cantinori. The report stated that when they arrived, the kitchen had already closed and they had wine at the bar. After leaving the restaurant, the two went to Noth’s Greenwich Village apartment around the corner and drank whiskey. She told THR, “He tried to make out with me. I cautiously entertained it. He’s older and looked older. He kept trying and trying and trying, and I should have said no more firmly and left. And then the next thing I knew, he pulled down his pants and he was standing in front of me.”

Both women stated that the alleged sexual incidents took place in front of a mirror.

Later on Thursday, New Girl and Life in Pieces actress Zoe Lister-Jones posted a statement on Instagram, alleging that Noth “is a sexual predator.”

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Noth recently wrapped a brief one-episode stint on HBO Max's Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That, reprising his character of John James "Mr. Big" Preston. Noth's character had a heart attack following a Peloton class and died thereafter. Shortly after the episode aired, the actor mocked the storyline in an advertisement from the fitness company. Due to the allegations against Noth, Peloton pulled the commercial less than a week after it aired.

Chris Noth is currently a series regular on CBS' reboot of The Equalizer, in which he stars opposite Queen Latifah.