Selma Blair says director James Toback threatened to 'gouge' her eyes out, kill her

359 women have accused Toback of sexual assault.
 By 
Kellen Beck
 on 
Selma Blair says director James Toback threatened to 'gouge' her eyes out, kill her
Selma Blair accused director James Toback of sexual assault and said he threatened to harm and kill her. Credit: Sansho Scott/BFA/REX/Shutterstock

Selma Blair spoke candidly about her allegations against disgraced director and screenwriter James Toback on The Talk Monday, reiterating the threats he made against her and the hundreds of accusations of sexual assault and misconduct laid against him over the last several months.

Blair recounted on The Talk how Toback threatened to kill her and "gouge" her eyes out with a pen if she ever told anyone about an instance where he lured her to his hotel room and wasn't going to let her leave unless she had sex with him.

"I've literally been afraid for 17 years of James Toback who threatened to murder me, put cement shoes on [me] and gouge my eyes out with a Bic pen if I ever told anybody," Blair said.

Blair first came to Vanity Fair in October with her story about Toback after the Los Angeles Times reported 38 women accused the director of sexually harassing and assaulting them. Blair alleged that Toback forcefully rubbed up against her leg, then recalled how he threatened her in case she told anyone.

"After he finished, he told me, 'There is a girl who went against me,'" Blair said he told her. "'She was going to talk about something I did. I am going to tell you, and this is a promise, if she ever tells anybody, no matter how much time she thinks went by, I have people who will pull up in a car, kidnap her, and throw her in the Hudson River with cement blocks on her feet. You understand what I’m talking about, right?'"

According to Blair, 359 women have accused Toback of sexual assault.

"I do think James Toback belongs in jail," Blair said on The Talk when asked if he deserves to go to jail. "It is a lot of he-said she-said, but people have come to me personally that he's done much worse to, and yes, I do believe he deserves to be in jail."

Since the initial New York Times report of sexual assault allegations made against Harvey Weinstein, a flood of allegations have poured out against other men in power in Hollywood, media, and other industries, which Blair said inspired her and hopes inspires more.

"It feels incredible, and it's a long time coming for us, for all of us," she said on The Talk.

Since accusations started to pour in about Toback in October, the police have launched a criminal investigation into Toback.

Topics Celebrities

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Kellen Beck

Kellen is a science reporter at Mashable, covering space, environmentalism, sustainability, and future tech. Previously, Kellen has covered entertainment, gaming, esports, and consumer tech at Mashable. Follow him on Twitter @Kellenbeck

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