By: Sung Hae -Media Reporter PUBLISHED: FEB 26, 2019
Vic Mignogna, the voice actor of Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric and Dragonball Z Broly, seems to be facing the consequences within the anime industry for his past sexual misconduct.
Anime dubed voice actor Vic Mignogna is currently facing multiple sexual harassment allegations after numerous victims have begun to speak out. Mignogna is being accused of a years-long history of unwanted touching, advances, and more by dozens of convention-goers and coworkers alike. News of Mignogna's history of sexual misconduct at conventions made its way out of the shadows and into the mainstream when Funimation and Rooster Teeth separately announced that they would no longer be working with the purported offender. According to io9, they interviewed two dozen of Mignogna's accusers, censoring their names to protect their identities. Multiple women publicly recounted their stories of Mignogna touching them without consent and kissing them.
One voice actress publicly shared their traumatic experience with Mignogna in which he kissed her and forced her onto his hotel bed, only being saved from further assault by a "door knock". Another industry peer shared their experience of Mignogna luring her to briefly visit his hotel room. When she tried to leave, Mignogna forcibly embraced her and began caressing the backs of her thighs without consent, repeating, "'Let me be sweet to you' - over and over, at least five or six times."
While Mignogna acknowledges these events he argued that these encounters were all consensual. Regardless, the emergence of these stories has cost the voice actor some of his biggest roles, and almost all of his scheduled appearances at conventions in 2019 have been cancelled. While the #MeToo movement has made a strong impression on Hollywood and has fostered an environment in which accusers like Mignogna's can relate their experiences and finally be heard, it's not clear if the anime industry's current avoidance of Mignogna will be wholesale considering that well-founded allegations of his sexual abuse of children surfaced. Statutes of limitations on sexual assault and harassment varying widely from state-to-state, but so far, no legal action has been taken against Mignogna.
California/ Vic Mignogna/ News