Yahoo Finance TikTok star responds to allegations she sexually assaulted fellow Hype House member: 'Nothing to apologize for'
Editor’s Note: This article contains mentions of sexual violence. Please take care while reading, and note the helpful resources at the end of this story.
TikTok star Sienna Mae Gomez is responding to accusations that she sexually assaulted her childhood friend, frequent collaborator and fellow Hype House member Jack Wright.
The two appeared to be dating in 2020 and shared numerous TikTok posts with synchronized dance moves and romantic situations, but they never officially confirmed a relationship.
Sienna, who is 17, has long been admired for her body positivity posts, in which she shows off her “flaws” and encourages her followers to eat — a challenge for many young people with eating disorders. She has a whopping 16 million followers on TikTok.
Mason Rizzo, who said he has been friends with 17-year-old Jack and his twin brother James since kindergarten, tweeted allegations that Sienna sexually assaulted Jack and told him to “kill himself.” James seemingly backed up the allegations by retweeting Mason’s statement.
“I struggle with seeing a girl getting praised after telling my best friend to kill himself and sexually assaulting him numerous times after he set boundaries and then repeatedly wonder why ‘he doesn’t like you back,'” the now-deleted post said. “She also has a history of verbally abusing people in high school in LA. She prioritizes the growth of her platform rather than the positive message she represents herself as. Followers should not be an excuse to get away with abusive behavior. You guys all deserve to know the truth about her.”
James shared the post, adding, “this is why I couldn’t just let it go and stay out of it.” He also retweeted another user who claimed Sienna used to body-shame people. Both of those retweets have since been removed from his page.
Sienna responded shortly after with posts on Instagram and TikTok saying she was “beyond saddened by the situation,” and that she hoped to deal with it offline.
On June 1, she took it a step further and shared a YouTube video titled “addressing false allegations.”
“I unequivocally deny the allegations that I sexually assaulted Jack Wright,” she said in the video. “My name is being dragged in the mud, and I am going to stand up for myself and tell the truth. I have nothing to apologize for.”
Sienna then said Jack never brought up any comments about sexual assault with her in private, and she disclosed that she and Jack had never had sex, though it was hard for her to talk about online.
“It feels really uncomfortable having to disclose this part of my life to the internet, especially because I am a 17-year-old girl,” she said. “For so long, I was strung along and misled by Jack… It’s honestly really embarrassing for me because I gave my entire heart and all my love for nine months so vulnerably on the internet, and everyone can go and look at these videos and see how invested I was in our relationship.”
She went on to say that when the cameras weren’t rolling, she “wasn’t important to him,” implying that he was using their relationship to increase his popularity on TikTok.
“I’ve seen numerous arguments asking, ‘Why lie about sexual assault?’ And this isn’t a lie. But it wasn’t me who sexually assaulted him,” she said, then apologized for making that information public. “We both know what happened, we both know who it was, and we both know that I was not at that gathering that night.”
She did not elaborate any further about the apparent incident.
Sienna went on to deny claims of body shaming and even addressed Mason directly, warning him to “be ready,” as her legal team is “working on evidence as we speak.”
“The Wright family, Sienna’s family, and I have decided to delete all information about the situation and handle it off of social media,” Mason posted in response.
Later that day, Jack shared his response to Sienna on Instagram.
“Sexual assault is a serious matter that has real consequences. Mason and James’ only intention was to protect me with the truth, and I really value their enormous support through this extremely difficult time,” Jack wrote. “I truly encourage my childhood friend Sienna to get the support and help that she needs. I don’t want to tear anyone down and only wish healing for everyone involved.”
Commenters on all sides of the allegations have expressed confusion, but as both parties reiterate that they hope to settle this offline, it’s not clear when or if we’ll receive more information.
If you or someone you know needs support after experiencing sexual violence, contact the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) at 1-800-656-4673 or chat online with a trained counselor. You can also connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor at no charge by texting the word “HOME” to 741741.
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