Trigger Warning: Suicide
Alan Ritchson revealed alleged blackmail that he faced from his former business partner. He said the alleged threat, which involved a rape accusation, left him depressed. Ritchson also shared that he is a suicide survivor.
Alan Ritchson says former business partner threatened to accuse him of rape
Alan Ritchson appeared at Fan EXPO Canada, where he opened up about a difficult time in his life. He alleged that his former business partner threatened to accuse him of rape when he refused to meet her at a hotel in Cannes.
He said, “I was like in my mid-30s. I was depressed for the first time, and I was depressed because I had done everything right, and I had a falling out with a business partner that threatened to… if I didn’t go up to her hotel room, at the Hotel du Cap in Cannes when I was selling a film there, great success for her company that I was running, that she would call TMZ and tell the reporter that I raped her in Cannes, and she would ruin my life.”
Ritchson described the threat as an attempt to blackmail him into going to the hotel, which he refused to do.
He added, “So it was like she was blackmailing me to come up, and I was like, ‘No, I’m not doing that.’ I didn’t want to do that.”
He said the incident left him overwhelmed by uncertainty and depressed, adding, “I’m a suicide survivor.”
Ritchson said, “I lost everything in that relationship. She was a billionaire, and she tanked every bit of our business and cost me a lot. And also, you know, the threat of that looming over my head is that I hired a litigator to fight back.”
According to Fox News, Ritchson ultimately reached a settlement. He also described the uncertainty and frustration he felt.
The experience left him heartbroken, but he also reflected on what he learned from it.
His remarks came after he and his wife, Catherine, announced their divorce after 20 years of marriage.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
