ABC Cancels ‘The Proposal’ Episode After Contestant Accused of Facilitating Sexual Assault

ABC has pulled an upcoming episode of its new show The Proposal after a contestant was accused of facilitating a sexual assault.

Contestant Michael J. Friday was accused by a Milwaukee woman of facilitating her sexual assault in November, with Erica Denae Meshke making the claim on Facebook.

She did not mention Friday by name but later posted a screenshot of his Instagram account in the comments.

“One of the men pictured here was directly responsible for my date rape,” she wrote alongside a photo of a group of male contestants. “After keeping this buried for nearly eight months, and seeing this man continue to succeed and not be held accountable for his actions, I’ve had enough. I’ve lost sleep, relationships, self-esteem, trust, and countless other things because of that night. And I’m done keeping it quiet.”

Meshke wrote that she and Friday met on Tinder and arranged a meeting, finding him with two older men when she arrived at the entertainment room of an apartment complex, as she requested that they meet in a public space.

She says she was poured a drink she believed to be spiked, alleging that Friday then left and did not come back. While she did not go into detail about her alleged assault, she wrote that she was taken to an apartment upstairs by one of the other men and “the things I endured for the next 5 hours were unspeakable.”

“I ran into this person once since at a bar and confronted him after he attempted to buy me a drink,” Meshke continued. “Once I reminded him of who I was, he acknowledged his part in that evening, and tried to argue with me and justify what he did, but was promptly asked to leave the bar by employees/my friends. This man is the pretty face that is used as a lure to get girls into unsafe situations.”

Friday was scheduled to appear on The Proposal‘s second episode, but ABC has reportedly made the decision to pull the episode after the accusations.

In a statement to People, ABC said, “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,” the statement continued, adding that Friday had been eliminated in the episode’s first round.

The premise of the show is that one bachelor or bachelorette sits in a secluded space and watches as contestants compete in a pageant of sorts, parading around on stage and answering questions. Contestants are eliminated until only one remains, at which time a proposal can be made.

Photo Credit: ABC