Former Canadian radio star maintained accusations were ‘inaccurate’ in a personal essay for the New York Review of Books

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Former Canadian radio star Jian Ghomeshi has pointed to a “systemic culture of unhealthy masculinity” to explain his behaviour with women, in a personal essay whose publication by a prestigious American magazine has fuelled a broader debate over the lasting consequences for those felled by allegations of sexual misconduct.

Ghomeshi was acquitted in March 2016 of four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking involving three complainants. Months later he apologised to a former colleague as part of a deal to drop another count of sexual assault he was facing.

In an essay published by the New York Review of Books, Ghomeshi maintained that the accusations against him were “inaccurate”. He reflected on a fall from grace that saw him go from one of the country’s best-known broadcasters to what he described as a “poster boy for men who are assholes”.

Jian Ghomeshi apologizes to former colleague as part of deal to drop charge Read more

The essay, published online on Friday, is set to be included an upcoming print issue of the magazine, titled The Fall of Men.

“I’ve become a hashtag,” Ghomeshi wrote. “One of my female friends quips that I should get some kind of public recognition as a #MeToo pioneer. There are lots of guys more hated than me now. But I was the guy everyone hated first.”

The accusations against Ghomeshi stunned the country when they burst into public view in 2014. At the time, Ghomeshi was a rising star at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, celebrated for his thoughtful interviews and socially progressive views.

Eventually more than 20 women came forward with allegations of being slapped, punched, bitten, choked or smothered by the radio host.

Ghomeshi denied the accusations, pleading not guilty to four charges of sexual assault and another of choking to overcome resistance.

The high-profile trial – which took place months before #MeToo snowballed into a global movement – sparked a national conversation on consent and sexual violence.

Ghomeshi writes that he contemplated suicide after the allegations emerged. His essay, which marks his first comments on the allegations since his acquittal, stops short of offering an apology.

“Even as I feel deep remorse about how I treated some people in my life, I cannot confess to the accusations that are inaccurate. What I do confess is that I was emotionally thoughtless in the way I treated those I dated and tried to date,” he wrote, describing himself as a creep when it came to his behaviour with women.

“But it went deeper than that. I was demanding on dates and in personal affairs … I was critical and dismissive.”

Claiming that countless men had approached him in the aftermath of the accusations with their own confessions of inappropriate behaviour, Ghomeshi said he had come to view his actions as “part of a systemic culture of unhealthy masculinity”.

He acknowledged that the outcome of the trial had left many unhappy. “There was a sentiment among them that, regardless of any legal exoneration, I was almost certainly a world-class prick, probably a sexual bully, and that I needed to be held to account beyond simply losing my career and reputation,” he wrote.

His roughly 3,500-word essay also included an admission that a piece focused entirely on his experience “may be seen as not helpful in rendering women’s experiences more visible”.

Louis CK performs first standup set since sexual misconduct allegations Read more

News of the essay’s publication sparked condemnation on social media. “Oh look, it’s another man whose been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women finding refuge from his so-called ‘exile’ in the pages of (a) well-respected national publication,” tweeted a former Guardian editor who detailed her own experience of dating Ghomeshi in 2010.

“Jian Ghomeshi gets to write a cover story for the New York Review of Books, but please, tell me more about how men have their careers permanently destroyed when they’re accused of sexual assault,” wrote another.

Others contrasted the platform given to Ghomeshi with stories of complainants who said they had faced threats or professional repercussions for speaking out.

When contacted by the Guardian, the New York Review of Books declined to comment on its decision to publish the piece.