Chris D'Elia's Dismissal of Sexual Misconduct Allegations Sparks Heated Reactions

Chris D'Elia brushed off sexual misconduct allegations against him on Wednesday, and Twitter is not pleased. Several women accused the comedian of preying on them when they were underage, but he told TMZ that he never did so on purpose. The response drew even more backlash down on the comedian, who remained a trending topic on Twitter about 24 hours later.

D'Elia told TMZ that he got "caught up in my lifestyle," but insisted that he never did anything wrong. He told the outlet: "I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point. All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me." Much of the response to this statement on Twitter was still hostile towards D'Elia.

D'Elia is facing accusations from women all over North America who say that he went out of his way to prey on them when they were underage. These allegations include manipulative behavior, soliciting nude photos via text and sometimes inviting them to parties and hotel rooms.

These exchanges are signs of a process broadly referred to as "grooming" by many victims. They describe how D'Elia weaponized his own perceived status as an entertainer, using it to the greatest effect on women who were young and impressionable. Many of them hoped that meeting him would help them get a leg up in the entertainment industry as well, and they felt betrayed when they realized he was after something else. Few, if any of D'Elia's critics seemed swayed by his statement on Wednesday. Here's a look at how Twitter is processing the comedian's comeback.