'Ren & Stimpy' creator accused of harassment, child porn, sex with teen girl 'intern'
By Tyler McCarthy | Fox News
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Two women have come forward to detail allegations of workplace sexual harassment, statutory rape and possession of child pornography against animator and “Ren & Stimpy” creator John Kricfalusi.
In a detailed report by BuzzFeed News, Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice recounted befriending Kricfalusi when they were just 13 after writing him as fans and aspiring animators. They said he paid special attention to the two young girls and promised to help foster their careers. In Byrd’s case, she ended up becoming his live-in girlfriend and intern at his company when she was 16 and he was 39, according to the report. Rice, meanwhile, allegedly endured years of sexual harassment while working for Kricfalusi as well.
While “Ren & Stimpy” is perhaps Kricfalusi’s most well-known work, he’s been a staple of the cartoon animation for decades, most recently animating two opening sequences for “The Simpsons” and doing the key art for Miley Cyrus’ “Bangerz” tour. The accusers said he carried a great deal of clout.
After Byrd’s initial letter to him, she claimed she was sent boxes of toys and art supplies, and he helped her get her first AOL account and the two started communicating with each other online.
At first, she said she thought their relationship was strictly professional. However, when she was in 11th grade, he reportedly flew her to Los Angeles and initiated sexual contact for the first time, when she was 16.
The summer before her senior year in 1997, she said she moved in with him as his girlfriend before her senior year of high school, and after she graduated, she moved in permanently and continued to work for him at his Spumco animation company.
The relationship ended briefly in 2000 and for good in 2002. She said the situation grew so tumultuous that she abandoned her dreams of being an animator just to get away from him.
“The 1990s were a time of mental and emotional fragility for Mr. Kricfalusi, especially after losing ‘Ren and Stimpy,’ his most prized creation. For a brief time, 25 years ago, he had a 16-year-old girlfriend,” a lawyer representing Kricfalusi told BuzzFeed in a statement. “Over the years John struggled with what were eventually diagnosed mental illnesses in 2008. To that point, for nearly three decades he had relied primarily on alcohol to self-medicate. Since that time he has worked feverishly on his mental health issues, and has been successful in stabilizing his life over the last decade. This achievement has allowed John the opportunity to grow and mature in ways he’d never had a chance at before.”
The article also named Rice, who said he never touched her but hit on her explicitly when she was underage. At one point she claimed he masturbated on the phone with her before she was 18. When she finally turned 18, she said he offered her a job at Spumco, which she accepted, but she left years later following a pattern of sexual harassment. Additionally, she claimed she discovered child pornography on his computer.
Kricfalusi’s lawyer denied he ever possessed child pornography. Both women said they feared retribution all these years, but were inspired to make their stories public amid the growing “#MeToo” movement.
Kricfalusi’s representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
