Anthony Anderson is making amends after a decades-old clip of him speaking inappropriately to Lindsay Lohan resurfaced online.
Back in December 2003, Anderson, then 33, and Lohan, then 17, were both guests on The Sharon Osbourne Show. Anderson was serving as guest host, while Lohan was promoting a movie. During their appearances, Anderson told Lohan that some men “like ‘em young,” referring to young women, then added that he was “one of them.”
“This interview was clearly intended as comedy. He regrets if the humor was in poor taste and maintains the utmost respect for Lindsay, “a representative for Anderson told Entertainment Weekly in a statement published Friday, July 25. “Any implication to the contrary is both inaccurate and potentially defamatory.”
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for both Anderson and Lohan for comment.
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The 2003 interview got off to a rocky start when Anderson joked that Lohan, now 39, kissed him with tongue when they greeted one another. She strongly denied his claim, so Anderson, now 54, moved on to Lohan’s 1998 movie The Parent Trap.
After telling the teenager that he and his children enjoyed the film, Anderson put his hand on Lohan’s knee while telling the actress, “You’ve grown up a whole lot since then.”
Anderson also asked Lohan if she had a relationship, and the young star said she did not. “Hmm, she’s single but looking!” Anderson then told the audience.
“But I’m illegal for people that are old,” Lohan interjected.
“Well, you know, some men like ’em young. We ain’t gonna mention no names, but, you know, I’m one of ’em,” Anderson added.
The resurfaced clip comes as Lohan is promoting the sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday, aptly named Freakier Friday. The 2003 interview and subsequent backlash over a decade later is not the first time Anderson has been accused of being inappropriate with women.
The actor was previously accused of sexually assaulting a 25-year-old woman who worked on the set of his 2004 movie Hustle & Flow.
The woman claimed that she was forced to have sex with Anderson several times while shooting the film. Anderson denied the claims and a judge dismissed the case in October 2004.
Anderson faced a second allegation of sexual assault in September 2004, when a woman accused him of making suggestive comments and assaulting her in his dressing room on the set of his series All About the Andersons that year. The woman filed a $900,000 lawsuit against the actor, and the results of that case remain publicly unavailable. (Business Insider reported that “Anderson’s representatives declined to comment on this story, including clarifying the lawsuit’s outcome” in January 2024.)
In July 2018, Anderson was also accused of assaulting an unidentified woman who catered an event he hosted. He denied the claims at the time.
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“It is unfortunate that anyone can file a police report whether it is true or false. The authorities have not contacted Anthony or any of his representatives about this matter. Anthony unequivocally disputes the claim,” a representative for Anderson told Us Weekly.
On July 22, 2018, a spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed Anderson was the subject of an investigation. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the case was dismissed later that year after the LA County District Attorney declined to file charges because the victim refused to cooperate with investigators.
