‘Below Deck’ star Gary King denies sexual assault allegations
Gary King, a star on the reality show “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” has denied allegations of sexual assault made by makeup artist Samantha Suarez. Suarez came forward with her claims on Thursday, prompting King to defend himself in the comments section of his Instagram account. He stated that he has never sexually harassed anyone and never will. When asked if Suarez was lying, King replied affirmatively but declined to provide further details in the comments. A TikTok user captured screenshots of King’s since-deleted responses, which were criticized for his behavior.
In response to questions about why he hasn’t shut down his social media accounts, King dismissed Suarez as a “lying girl” and found it suspicious that she claimed this allegedly happened to her in multiple seasons. These comments were made after Suarez recounted her alleged encounter with King in an interview with Rolling Stone. According to Suarez, an intoxicated King attempted to prevent her from leaving his hotel room after she delivered snacks and water during production in Italy in July 2022. She claimed that King grabbed and held onto her despite her attempts to free herself. Suarez also alleged that King slammed the door shut when she tried to leave.
Suarez reported the incident to the production team, who ordered King to sleep on the boat for the rest of filming and assured her that he would be fired if there were any further issues. However, Suarez described her experience following the incident as “super depressive.” She isolated herself in her hotel room for a week and even contemplated leaving the show entirely. Rolling Stone spoke to other crew members who claimed that King made women uncomfortable on set. One crew member said he was “next-level scary with women,” while another witnessed King inappropriately touching a female cast member despite her objections. King was also alleged to have grabbed the genitals of a production crew member and a male camera operator.
Bravo, the network behind the show, stated that it is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for its cast and crew. They confirmed that the concerns raised by Suarez in July 2022 were investigated, and appropriate action was taken based on the findings. The production company, 51 Minds Entertainment, did not respond to TheFantasyTimes’s request for comment.
“Below Deck Sailing Yacht” star Gary King denies he sexually assaulted makeup artist Samantha Suarez during production on the Bravo reality show last summer.
After Suarez came forward with her allegations Thursday, the reality star defended himself in the comments section of his Instagram account.
“I have never sexually harassed someone in my life, and I will never,” he wrote in response to a fan who urged him to “get sober, get clarity and stop your sexual misconduct.”
When another fan asked whether Suarez was “lying,” King replied, “yes she is. But I will not get into it through comments. Thanks.”
A fan on TikTok also captured a screenshot of King’s since-deleted responses to fans who called out his “disgusting behavior.”
When a user questioned why King has not shut down his social media accounts, the Bravolebrity said he would not “let some lying girl” get to him and that it “seems odd” this allegedly happened to her in multiple seasons.
King’s comments come after Suarez — who joined “Below Deck” in the makeup department on Season 10 of the original series — shared her alleged encounter with him in an interview with Rolling Stone.
The 27-year-old claimed an inebriated King tried to stop her from leaving his hotel room after she dropped off snacks and water during production on Season 4 of the “Sailing Yacht” spinoff in July 2022 in Italy.
Suarez said that when she turned toward the door, King allegedly “came up behind her, grabbed her, pressed her against his body and refused to let go of her” even though she tried to “kick and elbow him to get him off her.”
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She said that once she was able to get out of his grasp, she tried to leave out the door, but King allegedly slammed it shut from behind her.
When Suarez notified production about the incident, they allegedly ordered King to sleep on the boat for the remainder of filming and assured her that he would be fired if anything else happened.
“It pretty much sucked from there on out,” she told the magazine. “I was just in a super depressive state.”
Suarez shared that she stayed in her hotel room for a week following the alleged incident and even debated leaving the show altogether.
Rolling Stone also spoke to several other crew members who claimed King made women uncomfortable on set.
“He’s next-level scary with women,” one alleged.
Another crew member — who wanted to remain anonymous — told the publication that they allegedly witnessed King grab a female cast member’s butt and touch her inappropriately even when she asked him to stop.
He was also allegedly caught grabbing the genitals of a production crew member and a male camera operator.
In a statement to TheFantasyTimes, a Bravo spokesperson said, “Bravo is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows. We require our third-party production companies to have appropriate workplace policies and trainings in place and a clear process on how to report concerns.
“The concerns Ms. Suarez raised in July 2022 were investigated at that time, and action was taken based on the findings.”
TheFantasyTimes did not hear back from the “Below Deck” production company, 51 Minds Entertainment.
