A former star of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” recently alleged that a female masseuse had drugged and sexually assaulted her during production of the show in 2003.
Meredith Phillips, who starred in the reality show’s second cycle, made the accusations during an appearance on the Reality Steve podcast. Phillips said she was staying in the mansion when a massage therapist allegedly gave her a pill that she thought was aspirin.
“I just assumed it was an aspirin or something to loosen up my back, or Tylenol, or something. And it definitely wasn’t that, that’s for sure,” she recalled during the episode.
“The last thing I remember was she got naked and she was in the tub with me, and rubbing my back and rubbing areas probably she shouldn’t have. And then I was put in bed. I woke up naked. Don’t remember much.”
People noted that Phillips has been public about her alcohol addiction, and says that she wasn’t drinking at the time of the alleged incident.
Phillips said she kept her silence for more than a decade to “protect the franchise,” something she realizes now was “f**ked up.” She said she considered leaving the show but ultimately decided against it.
She claimed she’s speaking out now because the 2003 ordeal still haunts her.
“I had no control. Zero. I think that was the hardest part for me, that I couldn’t even lift my arms to say no,” the reality star recalled.
Phillips also said another person on set, who she didn’t identify, told her about an instance when they were “roofied and in a hot tub and kind of accosted” during filming.
Her accusations come nearly a year after filming of “Bachelor in Paradise” was halted amid allegations of sexual assault on set. However, producers resumed filming after determining there was no evidence of misconduct.
[Featured image: Meredith Phillips/Star Max via AP Images]
