This article contains topics of sexual assault, please take care while reading.
Sexual assault allegations against Tenoch Huerta have led people to draw parallels between him and his MCU co-star, Jonathan Majors, who is facing charges of grave physical abuse right now. Not to mention, a recent piece of information where Huerta announced dropping out from the Netflix film, Fiesta en la Madriguera is raising public interest to reflect on the accusations causing him to take this significant step.
What are the allegations against Huerta, and has he spoken out about them? Let’s take a look.
What are the allegations against Tenoch Huerta?
It was on June 10 when the saxophonist and activist Maria Elena Rios, in a series of tweets, called Huerta a ‘sexual predator’ who sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions. At the same time, Rios called out and later distanced herself from the anti-racist Mexican organization Poder Prieto of which Huerta is a member and which, as per her claims, released a podcast involving Rios without her consent. They were also accused of not paying her for the podcast.
The explanation Rios gave is that this was an attempt by Poder Prieto to protect their valuable member, Huerta. In response, Huerta vehemently denied the accusations deeming them untrue and not backed by any evidence. “A false and completely unsubstantiated accusation about me has spread like wildfire-and I cannot let it go unchallenged any longer,” is what the actor spoke on the subject.
Adding that they were in a consensual and supportive relationship, which allowed no space for any discriminatory act, Huerta told Variety:
“I cannot let it go unchallenged any longer. About a year ago, I dated Elena for several months. It was entirely consensual at all times, as countless others can attest. And throughout it was a loving, warm and mutually supportive relationship. After it ended, however, Elena began to misrepresent our interactions both privately and in front of groups of mutual friends.”
Further emphasizing the matter, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star mentioned how his legal team was aware of the matter,
“As a result, a few months ago, I engaged a legal team to commence the appropriate actions to protect my reputation and refute these irresponsible and false accusations that can cause great prejudice and damage. Although I am by no means perfect, I know that these allegations are simply untrue. And while I will always work to improve myself, I need to contest claims that are both false and offensive.”
As reported by Deadline, the actor is now devoting his time and energy to restoring his damaged reputation, which explains his bailing out from the film as well as refusing to associate himself with the crew who might be affected by his presence:
“Given the impact of the recent false statements by María Elena Ríos and the damage they have caused, I have no choice but to withdraw from participating in the film Fiesta en la Madriguera….It is with great sadness that I do this, but I cannot allow her actions to harm not only me, but also the work of dozens of talented and hard-working people involved in the project. My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.”
Huerta’s reputation is far from recovery, considering the weight and nature of the allegations, but as MCU fans, we will definitely keep an eye on further updates on this issue.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.