It’s been more than 10 years since the alleged sexual assault occurred between Astra Jonasson and Vin Diesel. Jonasson held off on coming forward for years because she was scared of the repercussions. The filing read, “For years, Ms. Jonasson remained silent, afraid to speak out against one of the world’s highest-grossing actors, afraid she would be ostracized from the industry which had a pattern of protecting powerful men and silencing survivors of sexual harassment and assault.” But as more time passed, Jonasson knew she had to tell her story and was inspired by many powerful movements, including the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Although this seems to be the first sexual assault allegation thrown Diesel’s way, the actor has had a history of problematic behavior, just not to this extent.
In 2017, Diesel and Charlize Theron had a public dispute after the actor overly sold his kissing skills when it came to their on-screen smooch. He told USA Today, “Do I know she enjoyed it? Oh, my God, yeah. A kiss cannot lie, lips don’t lie. No, they didn’t. She OWNED it.” But a frustrated Theron had a different side to the story, saying it was a “physcotic kiss” on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (via Yahoo Entertainment ). Not only that, but Diesel has reportedly lacked professionalism on-set by showing up late and not knowing lines. Although Diesel made it through these scandals, he now faces Jonasson’s accusations of sexual assault.
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If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
