George Takei Once Discussed With Howard Stern Grabbing Men to "Persuade" Them for Sex

A recently surfaced piece of audio from Stern's radio program last month highlights the 'Star Trek' actor discussing sexual harassment in the wake of Harvey Weinstein allegations going public.

A former model and actor on Friday accused Star Trek actor George Takei of sexual assault in 1981. The accuser, Scott R. Brunton, who was 23 at the time of the alleged incident, claims that Takei took advantage of him when he was most vulnerable.

On Saturday, an audio clip surfaced from Takei's appearance last month on Howard Stern's radio show. The interview was recorded less than two weeks after sexual assault accusations against fallen film mogul Harvey Weinstein were made public. Stern and Takei were discussing the "irony" of the Weinstein case and the audiotape of President Donald Trump boasting about grabbing women's genitals years ago when Stern asked Takei whether he had ever grabbed a man's genitals against his will.

Takei, a staunch opponent of the Republican president, initially was silent, then said "uh oh" and laughed. Stern asked again and Takei said, "Some people are kind of skittish, or maybe, um, uh, afraid, and you're trying to persuade."

Stern and his co-host, Robin Quivers, persisted, asking Takei whether he ever held a job over somebody for sex and he said no.

Quivers asked if he did "this grabbing at work." Takei said, "It was either in my home. They came to my home."

In a series of tweets and in a Facebook post Saturday morning, Takei denied Brunton's allegations.

"The events he describes back in the 1980s simply did not occur, and I do not know why he has claimed them now. I have wracked my brain to ask if I remember Mr. Brunton, and I cannot say I do," he wrote. "Right now it is a he said / he said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago. But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful."

Listen to the interview below.