Arrow Producer Suspended; 19 Men and Women Allege Harassment

An executive producer of Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow has been suspended.

Warner Bros. Television Group is investigating Andrew Kreisberg, after four men and 15 women alleged witnessing or experiencing years of sexual harassment.

The accusers, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, told Variety that Kreisberg engaged in a pattern of abuse that included kissing without consent, requesting massages from female staffers, and making inappropriate comments that objectified and sexualized women. Variety reports that many told the same stories of harassment, and corroborated each other's accounts.

"We have recently been made aware of allegations of misconduct against Andrew Kreisberg," Warner Bros. Television Group said in a statement. "We have suspended Mr. Kreisberg and are conducting an internal investigation. We take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and are committed to creating a safe working environment for our employees and everyone involved in our productions."

Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter -- the heads of Berlanti Productions, the company that oversees these shows -- also released a statement in response to the "deeply troubling allegations."

"We were recently made aware of some deeply troubling allegations regarding one of our showrunners," they stated. "We have been encouraging and fully cooperating with the investigation into this by Warner Bros. There is nothing more important to us than the safety and well-being of our cast, crew, writers, producers and any staff. We do not tolerate harassment and are committed to doing everything we can to make an environment that's safe to work in and safe to speak up about if it isn't."

Kreisberg vehemently denied the allegations in a statement to Variety. "I have made comments on women's appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized. Like many people, I have given someone a non-sexual hug or kiss on the cheek," Kreisberg said.

"I have proudly mentored both male and female colleagues for many years. But never in what I believe to be an unwanted way and certainly never in a sexual way," he added.

However, the accusers dispute Kreisberg's claims, saying he created a "toxic" work environment. A female producer who worked with Kreisberg claimed she brought her concerns about his behavior last year to an executive at Berlanti Productions. But, "there was zero response. Nothing happened. Nothing changed," she said.

The allegations come in the midst of the #MeToo movement, which was sparked by the reports of alleged sexual assaults from disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.