Just a week after he encouraged victims of sexual misconduct to come forward, Seal is under investigation for sexual battery, according to TMZ.
The news site reports that actress Tracey Birdsall was a neighbor of Seal’s in the fall of 2016 and that the two developed a friendship. Birdsall said that one day she was in Seal’s home retrieving a salad spinner she lent him when the singer forced himself on her and tried to kiss her.
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Birdsall said she asked “What are you doing?” to which Seal allegedly replied, “I’m kissing you.”
Birdsall claims that Seal then began to comment on her outfit of a tank top and shorts, insinuating that it signaled she wanted him to make a move. Birdsall said Seal groped her breasts and she told him to stop.
She said that out of shock, she agreed to sit on Seal’s couch with him, where she says he once again belittled her clothing and groped her again.
Birdsall said she left Seal’s house shortly after and did not have contact with him again.
The actress told TMZ that she decided to file a police report after she saw Seal’s story last week accusing Oprah Winfrey of knowing about Harvey Weinstein‘s predatory behavior last week. In his post, he encouraged women to share their stories of sexual misconduct.
TMZ reports that a source within the Los Angles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a report for sexual battery was filed on Saturday and that the incident is under investigation.
“Seal vehemently denies the recent allegations made against him by a former neighbor for alleged misconduct more than a year ago. He intends to vigorously defend himself against these false allegations,” a rep for Seal told TMZ.
Seal was criticized last week for sharing a meme of Winfrey that implied she knew about Weinstein’s alleged predatory behavior “for decades.”
“Oh I forgot, that’s right…..you’d heard the rumours but you had no idea he was actually serially assaulting young stary-eyed (sic) actresses who in turn had no idea what they were getting into. My bad,” Seal wrote in his caption before adding a hashtag for “Sanctimonious Hollywood.”
Model Chrissy Teigen turned up in his comments, seemingly suggesting that there could be rumors out their about the British crooner as well.
“Hmm. Let’s just say we’ve all heard things about each other, haven’t we,” Teigen wrote, which was well liked by fans on Instagram.
Seal’s picture and comment come from accusations that Weinstein used his relationship with Oprah to lure women in so he could sexually harass or assault them. She has claimed she had no idea what he was doing.
Seal then blasted his critics in a video clarifying his position on the controversial meme — one he swears “was not an attack on Oprah at all.”
“Let me start by saying that I have an enormous amount of respect for everything that Oprah has achieved and contributed in her life. What I re-posted was not an attack on Oprah at all, she just happened to be the person photographed with the pig [Harvey Weinstein] in the picture,” the singer said. “No, what I re-posted was commentary on the hypocritical and double standard nature and behavior of Hollywood.”
In the “Kiss From a Rose” singer’s video, he continued to claim that supporters of the #MeToo movement have not seen true progress.
“None of the women who have been sexually abused, not one of the women who have come forward, has received any real justice whatsoever,” Seal said.
“Losing you’re job because you’ve either a) raped, or b) sexually abused or sexually harassed a woman is not real punishment. You steal from the post office, you go to jail. And hashtag real-talk for a second, we all know what would happen if any one of those power abusers looked like me,” he continued.
“Again, this was not an attack against Oprah,” Seal shifted again. “This was an observation on the toxic nature of Hollywood and I believe that a conscious people are a progressive people.”
He saluted victims of sexual misconduct who have come forward, saying, “What you did takes real courage… Please keep coming forward because that’s the only way that we get to solve this thing.”
