‘Below Deck’ Star Gary King, Bravo, NBCUniversal Sued by Former Crew Members Alleging Sexual Battery, Retaliation

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Two ex-crew members from the TV show “Below Deck: Sailing Yacht”, along with Gary King, NBCUniversal, and Bravo, are facing a lawsuit for alleged incidents of sexual battery, gender violence, creating a hostile work environment, discrimination, and retaliation.

On Tuesday, attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos submitted a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Samantha Suarez (a hair and makeup artist) and Grey Duddleston (a camera operator). The legal action alleges that these individuals were dismissed from their roles and blacklisted for voicing their accusations during season four of the reality show. The lawsuit, which is part of a series of cases referred to as “Reality Reckoning” by Freedman and Geragos, additionally involves Mountain View Productions, 51 Minds Entertainment, and Endemol Shine.

According to Suarez’s statement, she was employed on the fourth season of “Below Deck: Sailing Yacht” in Sardinia during the summer of 2022. She alleges that Gary King, a well-known cast member with a reputation for excessive drinking and harassment, detained her against her will in a hotel room.

On July 3, 2022, while delivering snacks and water to his room, Suarez alleges that King prevented her from leaving. According to the complaint, when she attempted to leave, King rushed towards her, grabbed her upper body with his arms, and held her tight. Suarez was frightened and reacted by shouting and trying to break free. She eventually managed to escape, ran towards the door, and struggled to open it. However, King, who was pursuing her, grabbed the door and shut it, trapping her. He then laughed maliciously and fixed his eyes on her with a menacing gaze. Suarez feared she would be sexually assaulted. She claims it was a phone call from another crew member that stopped King.

Suarez asserted that she informed 51 Minds, the production company behind Below Deck: Sailing Yacht, about the occurrence. She further claimed that King acknowledged his actions and was apparently warned that another similar incident could lead to his termination.

It’s not shocking that King continued with inappropriate behavior,” the complaint explains. “At that time, Duddleston, Suarez’s partner, saw King removing the bikini tops of two female cast members without their approval, making suggestive comments to a female sound technician, and touching the private areas of two male camera operators. As per standard procedure, Duddleston reported these incidents over the crew’s walkie-talkie system.

51 Minds chose to investigate Duddleston over alleged misuse of the walkie-talkie system instead of terminating King, as suggested by the lawsuit. Furthermore, when coworkers inquired about the situation, Suarez reportedly disclosed the truth, as stated in the documents.

51 Minds allegedly reprimanded Suarez for disclosing that she had been assaulted, as they hadn’t labeled the incident as such and believed she was compromising the investigation, according to her lawsuit. Later, both Suarez and Duddleston were terminated from the show and blacklisted, making it difficult for them to find work in their industry. In contrast, King continues to be a prominent figure in the franchise. The fifth season of Below Deck: Sailing Yacht recently concluded its run.

51 Minds Entertainment, along with Bravo, did not provide a response to The Hollywood Reporter’s inquiry for a comment. Attempts to contact King were unsuccessful as he was unable to respond to the request.

Previously, Rolling Stone had shared information about the accusations made by Suarez in August 2023, which claimed that Below Deck was hiding King’s inappropriate sexual behavior.

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2025-02-26 09:24