After being accused of sexual misconduct by two women, independent journalist Andrew Callaghan is responding to the allegations.
Callaghan, known for his stints as a journalist on YouTube shows All Gas No Brakes and Channel 5, has apologized and pledged to seek immediate treatment. He posted a four-minute video to his Instagram page, saying, “I want to be fully accountable, honest, and transparent with all of you guys.”
He began by thanking those who’d spoken up about their discomfort in his actions, saying he didn’t realize he had this pattern of behavior and apologizing for his initial silence. “I want to express my complete sympathy, respect, and support for anyone I’ve done wrong by,” he said. “I really want to do better and be fully accountable for everything that I’ve done.”
Callaghan clarified that he’s always taken “no” for an answer, but that he wants to have a more “nuanced conversation about power dynamics, pressure, and coercion.” He explained that he was behaving in a way that he believed was normal, believing persistence was a form of flattery. “This type of sex pest behavior is normalized,” he stated.
However, he also said that a lot of important context is missing from many of the stories and accounts regarding his actions. He said he hopes other young men can learn through his mistakes, pledging to do some “serious work” on himself, including joining the 12-step program through Alcoholics Anonymous to begin a journey into sobriety.
Callaghan was accused by two separate women earlier this month. First, by a woman named Caroline Elise, who posted a TikTok video saying that when she invited Callaghan to stay in her home with clear boundaries that he wore her down into doing things she wasn’t proud of.
“It’s even more hard to have to relive the trauma that I endured every single day by seeing this man as a social justice warrior, as someone who cares about human rights, get a platform,” Elise said. “You shouldn’t be supporting him.”
Another woman, who uses the name Dana, alleged that Callaghan began touching her without consent while she was driving him home, including trying to put his hand down her pants. She said that she had previously had sexual relations with Callaghan, but did not wish to again.
Last week, Callaghan’s legal representative issued a statement in regard to the allegations. “Andrew is devastated that he is being accused of any type of physical or mental coercion against anyone,” the statement began. “Conversations about pressure and consent are extremely important and Andrew wants to have these conversations, so he can continue to learn and grow.”
The statement also included an indictment of those who would see such conversations as an opportunity to seek a payout. “While every dynamic is open to interpretation and proper communication is critical from all those involved, repeated requests for money should not be part of these conversations,” it read. “With that, balanced communication is paramount to any relationship dynamic and Andrew vows to be better in this regard, while reminding his audience that while even one concerned partner is too many, there are always multiple sides to a story.”
“Andrew is fully committed to working with the appropriate professionals to better understand himself and ways he can grow and improve as a human being, especially with his growing platform and the vulnerabilities it brings,” the statement concluded.
In addition to his YouTube work, Callaghan recently directed This Place Rules, a documentary about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, produced in collaboration with A24 and now streaming on HBO Max.
