ABC has decided to not to air an upcoming episode of their new reality show The Proposal after allegations involving sexual assault surfaced against one of the show’s male contestants.
- As Deadline reports, Erica Denae Meshke is accusing Michael J. Friday of helping to facilitate sexual assault against her.
- In a Facebook post, Meshke details how she allegedly set up a date with Friday via Tinder, with the two meeting at an apartment complex entertainment room. She says Friday then left her alone with two other men, given a spiked drink, and then assaulted in a nearby apartment.
- Describing why she decided to share her story, Meshke wrote, “Imagine going through the most traumatic event in your life. Now [imagine] that after every effort to never think of it again, you’re in bed after a long day, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook articles, and you see the man at fault’s face pop up on your timeline. Now imagine discovering his face will be plastered ALL OVER TELEVISION.”
- Today, ABC and Warner Horizon issued a statement announcing their decision to remove the episode (the show’s second) from their broadcast schedule, saying, “An allegation has been made against a contestant on next week’s episode of The Proposal. While the accusation was not related to the contestant’s appearance on the program, we take it very seriously. ABC and the producers of The Proposal are pulling the episode while this matter is under review.”
- This isn’t the first time accusation of sexual assault have impacted an ABC reality show. Last summer, production on Bachelor in Paradise was temporarily halted following allegations of misconduct. The show later resumed filming after the show’s production company, Warner Bros., said it had found no evidence of misconduct. However, the show apparently made changes to their policies and procedures to ensure the safety of all cast and crew.
