Former ‘Bachelorette’ Contestant Being Investigated for Sexual Harassment by Universal Studios

Bachelorette contestant Leo Dottavio is being investigated by Universal Studios for sexual harassment, TMZ reports. Dottavio, who competed for Becca Kufrin’s heart on the latest season of The Bachelorette, worked as a stuntman on the show Water World before being cast on the reality show.

TMZ reports that a complaint was filed with human resources Friday by someone who claims to have witnessed Dottavio making several women uncomfortable on the set of Water World with excessive hugging and unwanted flirting. Dottavio also allegedly made women uncomfortable in direct messages on social media.

According to TMZ, when contacted about the allegations, Dottavio said he was unaware of them.

“We are aware of the situation and have taken appropriate actions while the matter is under investigation,” a spokesperson for Universal Studios told the news outlet.

The person who filed the complaint said the alleged behavior happened at the end of 2017 on the set of Water World, where Dottavio had reportedly been working for more than three years.

The new accusations come days after a former Bachelor contestant publicly accused Dottavio of sexually harassing women more than a decade ago. Bekah Martinez shared screenshots on her Instagram Story of messages she claimed were sent to her by women accusing Dottavio of making unwanted sexual advances and seeing unwanted photos of his genitalia in the past.

Martinez claimed she was sent those messages after sharing a comment Dottavio made on an old Instagram photo, writing to a woman, “You need my big d—.”

“Some great guys from this season,” she wrote on her Instagram Story at the time.

Dottavio responded to the allegations, walking a thin line between an apology and using the incident as an “opportunity to better myself.”

“There have been some recent stories about me that have garnered attention and I want to address them,” Dottavio wrote in a lengthy note shared on his Instagram Story on Friday. “I want to start by saying no one has ever accused me of sexual harassment. No one has ever come to me in any way and told me I made them feel uncomfortable. However, I am not a perfect person nor have I ever claimed to be.”

He continued, “Did I do things in college that I would be embarrassed about now? Absolutely. Was I a part of my culture, the times, movies? Yes.”

He went on to write that he has “grown as a person since college” and is “not the man I was 2 years ago let alone 14 years ago.”

“It’s important for women to speak out if they felt uncomfortable or harassed. I support that,” he said. “If there was anyone I made feel uncomfortable why not come to me? I would love an opportunity to right my wrongs and speak to any woman that wants to tell me how and when I made them feel uncomfortable.”

“I want to take this as an opportunity to better myself and the treatment of women in my life,” he concluded.