Ren & Stimpy creator accused of harassing and sexually abusing teenage girls

BuzzFeed

A Buzzfeed News exposé is accusing John Kricfalusi, creator of the iconic Nickelodeon cartoon, of preying on and grooming teenage girls, statutory rape and possessing child pornography. Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice have come forward to detail their encounters Kricfalusi when they were teenagers in the 1990s, beginning when they were each 13. "Old letters, emails, and transcripts of AOL conversations between the women and Kricfalusi back up many of their claims," reports Buzzfeeds's Ariane Lange. "They each have witnesses to parts of their stories. Yet both women worried that they sounded 'crazy.' For years, they chose to keep their experiences private, because coming forward didn’t seem like it was worth the risk. Rice feared retribution from his many supporters. Neither woman thought they’d be taken seriously. Now they believe the world has changed. Byrd feels the time has come for Kricfalusi to be held accountable, particularly, she said, after the police told her in December that Kricfalusi’s alleged crimes against her were too old to investigate." Byrd says she's coming forward because “he shouldn’t be able to get away with that." In response to the allegations, Kricfalusi's attorney said: “The 1990s were a time of mental and emotional fragility for Mr. Kricfalusi, especially after losing Ren and Stimpy, his most prized creation." Kricfalusi was fired from Ren & Stimpy in 1992, before the allegations took place.

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• Nickelodeon had no comment on the Buzzfeed article, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which adds: "In response to the Buzzfeed story, Paramount Network, the channel that was formerly Spike TV, which ran Adult Party Cartoon, a 2003 reboot of Ren & Stimpy, said that it did not receive any complaints against Kricfalusi at the time. A spokesperson for Cartoon Network and Adult Swim said the same."