The 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht' star is accused of sexually assaulting a female staffer which took place during production of the show's Season 4 in Italy back in July 2022.
- Aug 25, 2023
AceShowbiz - Gary King has been accused of sexually assaulting the show's crew member. More than one year after the misconduct took place, the "Below Deck Sailing Yacht" star reportedly "forced" himself on a staffer during production.
Samantha Suarez revealed that she was the victim of Gary's wrongdoing in an interview published on Thursday, August 24. Speaking to Rolling Stone, she explained that he attempted "to force himself" on her back in July 2022. At that time, she was on assignment during production of Season 4 of the show. The misconduct took place in a hotel, where the crew and cast members were staying, in Sardinia, Italy.
Noting that one of her daily tasks included bringing food and water to cast members, the crew member recalled she helped Gary, who was allegedly drunk and was "behaving erratically," back to his hotel room after filming the show. Once they arrived, he allegedly asked her not to leave his room and to get on the bed with him, despite knowing that she was in a romantic relationship with someone else.
Samantha recounted that she left the room and came back to bring Gary his snacks and water. She saw him sporting only a pair of undies when he opened the door for her. She later was instructed not to leave the room again. After refusing to stay and making her way out of the room, he reportedly "came up behind her, grabbed her, pressed her against his body and refused to let go of her" despite her attempts to "kick and elbow him to get him off her."
The staffer elaborated that she was freed to leave the room after she got a call from a talent manager. "I'm freaking out, and he goes, 'What's wrong? What's going on?' And I'm like, 'Just leave me alone,' " she recalled. "He tried to come up behind me and put his arm around me. He's in the hallway in his underwear, and it's all weird and f**ked up, and so I'm just like, 'Just go back in your room and don’t come out.' "
Following the incident, Samantha quickly informed producers about what happened. In return, they reportedly assured her that Gary would be fired if he did another misconduct. "It pretty much sucked from there on out. I was just in a super depressive state," she pointed out. Gary was allegedly told to sleep on the boat and was not allowed to stay in the hotel for the rest of filming duration.
