“Entourage” actor Jeremy Piven reportedly went on an profane tirade at a Los Angeles event for human trafficking and domestic violence survivors on Saturday, after his jokes failed to garner laughter.
Piven, who hosted the 9th annual Face Forward gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, allegedly told the audience, “f**k you,” after nobody laughed at his jokes, The Daily Mail reports.
“This is a tough room by the way. Tough room,” Piven apparently said after telling perverse jokes that included sexual acts, Kim Kardashian, and Justin Bieber, according to the newspaper.
“Oh, I knew it. I knew it. I just decided I’m doing a two-hour set because you’re not giving me love. So, f— you all.”
The actor has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against him amid the “MeToo” movement. One guest expressed shock he attended the event to begin with.
“He was surrounded by women who had been through abuse, domestic violence, mental torture from their partners and even acid attacks. The mood in the crowd was one of defiance,” the guest said.
The event’s organizer defended Piven’s behavior, even calling the tirade “hilarious.”
“He was gracious, hilarious, conscientious of the room and respectful to the founder and our audience. The room was loud and full of 700 people being served dinner and not always paying attention to what was happening on stage including the honorees,” the organizer said.
“If you take any joke from any comic out of context it would look inappropriate but it wasn’t and at the end of the day he helped us raise over $500,000 to help victims of DV [domestic violence] and HT [human trafficking].”
Regarding previous sexual abuse allegations brought against him, Piven denied any involvement.
“The accusations, what they said, never happened,” he told The Toronto Star in June. “Have I ever disrespected a woman or gone against her wishes? The answer is no.”
At least seven women claim the actor sexually assaulted or harassed them, according to the media outlet.
Piven, seemingly undeterred by criticism, thanked attendees of the gala via Twitter on Monday.
Thank to everyone who showed up to raise money ! Brilliant cause if u guys don’t know about @FaceForwardLA raising money for victims of domestic violence . pic.twitter.com/LxRJ18EYvG
— Jeremy Piven (@jeremypiven) September 25, 2018
[Feature Photo: Jeremy Piven via AP/Richard Shotwell, Invision, File]
