'SEAL Team' Star David Boreanaz Wipes Instagram as Fans Seek Comment on Joss Whedon Accusations

SEAL Team star David Boreanaz, one of the most successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer alumni, has [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

SEAL Team star David Boreanaz, one of the most successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer alumni, has been publicly silent since Charisma Carpenter came forward to accuse Buffy franchise creator Joss Whedon of abusing his power during the show's production. Boreanaz even deleted every post on his Instagram page, leaving just a trailer for the new season of his CBS series. Fans have criticized Boreanaz and Alyson Hannigan for not commenting on the allegations against Whedon while other Buffy stars have spoken out to support Carpenter.

Boreanaz's only post on his Instagram page is a trailer for new SEAL Team episodes. Fans cannot comment on the post either. According to the Daily Mail, Boreanaz posted a photo of his father, retired broadcaster Dave Roberts, before Roberts' birthday on Saturday. However, this post has also been deleted. Boreanaz starred as Angel on Buffy, then starred in his own spinoff Angel from 1999 to 2004. He also starred as Agent Seeley Booth on Fox's Bones and now plays Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Jason Hayes on SEAL Team.

Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on Buffy and Angel, came forward with her statement on Feb. 10. She showed support for Justice League actor Ray Fisher, who also accused Whedon of misconduct. "Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working together on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel," Carpenter wrote. "While he found his misconduct amusing, it only served to intensify my performance anxiety, disempower me, and alienate me from my peers. The disturbing incidents triggered a chronic physical condition from which I still suffer. It is with a beating, heavy heart that I say I coped in isolation and, at times, destructively."

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Since then, several members of the Buffy and Angel casts have voiced their support for Carpenter. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy, said she was "proud" to have her name associated with the character, but "I don't ever want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon." Gellar continued, "I am more focused on raising my family and surviving a pandemic currently, so I will not be making any further statements at this time. But I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out."

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Michelle Trachtenberg also shared Gellar's comment, thanking her for speaking out and agreeing with Carpenter that Whedon's behavior was inappropriate. "I am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman...To repost this. Because. This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior....very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did," Trachtenberg wrote. She later added in her Instagram Stories, "We know what he did. Behind. The. Scenes."

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The silence from Boreanaz and Hannigan has frustrated some fans. Hannigan has also had a successful post-Buffy career, having starred in the American Pie movies and How I Met Your Mother. She played Willow Rosenberg on Buffy and appeared in three episodes of Angel.

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"Nothing from David Boreanaz, whose support would be big from the former Joss Whedon show camp. He has little to lose in his career if he supports his former costars, considering his post-Whedon success. ... His Bones costar Emily Deschanel was quick to support Charisma's post," one fan wrote. The fan included a screenshot of Deschanel's tweet. "This takes incredible courage. I'm so sorry you had to experience these things," Deschanel wrote to Carpenter. "I stand by you."

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Several fans pointed out that Boreanaz also faced a sexual harassment allegation during the making of Bones. In July 2010, Kristina Hagan filed a lawsuit against Boeanaz for an alleged incident that happened in August 2009 when she was working as an extra on the show. Boreanaz denied the allegation, and the lawsuit was dismissed in March 2011.

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"Struggling with Alyson Hannigan refusing to say anything about the Joss Whedon? tbh she may join Matt Damon in the 'childhood crushes I had to put to rest' box," one fan wrote. "I was kinda waiting and hoping Alyson Hannigan would also show public support for her costars against Joss Whedon," another fan wrote.

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