Just before 2022 wrapped up, reporter and comedian Andrew Callaghan released his documentary This Place Rules on HBO. Following its release, Callaghan was accused of sexual assault, leading Tim Heidecker — producer of the comedic documentary — to cut ties with him.
Heidecker addressed the allegations on Thursday (January 12) at the beginning of his Office Hours podcast, saying that he and comedy partner and This Place Rules co-producer Eric Wareheim have "no plans" to work with him in the future.
"It's been a very painful week for us, a very difficult experience to process," Heidecker said. "We didn't want to just rush out and say something that felt insincere or a 'crisis person told us what to say' kind of thing. We just wanted to wrap our heads around it and talk about it and try to understand it more."
He continued: "Of course, we're aware of the allegations. We take them very seriously. It's been very sad and disappointing, to say the least. I just want to clarify a couple things. We have no professional relationship with Andrew at this time and have no plans going forward to have any relationship with him."
Callaghan found his beginnings on YouTube as the host of All Gas No Brakes and subsequently Channel 5. Earlier this month, two separate TikTok users accused him of pressuring them into having sex on different occasions. Callaghan has yet to speak on the allegations.
UPDATE (13/01) 3:55 p.m.: A legal representative for Callaghan has responded to the allegations in a statement to Buzzfeed News. It reads as follows:
Andrew is devastated that he is being accused of any type of physical or mental coercion against anyone. Conversations about pressure and consent are extremely important and Andrew wants to have these conversations, so he can continue to learn and grow. While every dynamic is open to interpretation and proper communication is critical from all those involved, repeated requests for money should not be part of these conversations.
With that, balanced communication is paramount to any relationship dynamic and Andrew vows to be better in this regard, while reminding his audience that while even one concerned partner is too many, there are always multiple sides to a story. Andrew is fully committed to working with the appropriate professionals to better understand himself and ways he can grow and improve as a human being, especially with his growing platform and the vulnerabilities it brings.
Heidecker urged Callaghan to address the allegations publicly:
Our role with him is we produced the film that a lot of you guys have seen. There's been a little confusion about the Channel 5 name. That's Andrew's name, Channel 5. It has nothing to do with Eric and I. It's been a bit of confusion for us as well. We did produce the movie, and I feel terrible that this film now has these allegations tied to it because some very good people worked very hard on it. But it's just a movie, and I want to say we believe these women that came forward and, of course, totally condemn the type of behaviour that Andrew's being accused of. I believe it's up to Andrew to address these allegations and do so openly and honestly. I really hope he does do that as soon as possible.
Heidecker and Wareheim produced This Place Rules alongside film house A24 and Jonah Hill. The duo were working on a show through their company Abso Lutely productions in 2020, but that eventually fell through.
Watch the podcast episode where Heidecker addresses the allegations below.
Heidecker addressed the allegations on Thursday (January 12) at the beginning of his Office Hours podcast, saying that he and comedy partner and This Place Rules co-producer Eric Wareheim have "no plans" to work with him in the future.
"It's been a very painful week for us, a very difficult experience to process," Heidecker said. "We didn't want to just rush out and say something that felt insincere or a 'crisis person told us what to say' kind of thing. We just wanted to wrap our heads around it and talk about it and try to understand it more."
He continued: "Of course, we're aware of the allegations. We take them very seriously. It's been very sad and disappointing, to say the least. I just want to clarify a couple things. We have no professional relationship with Andrew at this time and have no plans going forward to have any relationship with him."
Callaghan found his beginnings on YouTube as the host of All Gas No Brakes and subsequently Channel 5. Earlier this month, two separate TikTok users accused him of pressuring them into having sex on different occasions. Callaghan has yet to speak on the allegations.
UPDATE (13/01) 3:55 p.m.: A legal representative for Callaghan has responded to the allegations in a statement to Buzzfeed News. It reads as follows:
Andrew is devastated that he is being accused of any type of physical or mental coercion against anyone. Conversations about pressure and consent are extremely important and Andrew wants to have these conversations, so he can continue to learn and grow. While every dynamic is open to interpretation and proper communication is critical from all those involved, repeated requests for money should not be part of these conversations.
With that, balanced communication is paramount to any relationship dynamic and Andrew vows to be better in this regard, while reminding his audience that while even one concerned partner is too many, there are always multiple sides to a story. Andrew is fully committed to working with the appropriate professionals to better understand himself and ways he can grow and improve as a human being, especially with his growing platform and the vulnerabilities it brings.
Heidecker urged Callaghan to address the allegations publicly:
Our role with him is we produced the film that a lot of you guys have seen. There's been a little confusion about the Channel 5 name. That's Andrew's name, Channel 5. It has nothing to do with Eric and I. It's been a bit of confusion for us as well. We did produce the movie, and I feel terrible that this film now has these allegations tied to it because some very good people worked very hard on it. But it's just a movie, and I want to say we believe these women that came forward and, of course, totally condemn the type of behaviour that Andrew's being accused of. I believe it's up to Andrew to address these allegations and do so openly and honestly. I really hope he does do that as soon as possible.
Heidecker and Wareheim produced This Place Rules alongside film house A24 and Jonah Hill. The duo were working on a show through their company Abso Lutely productions in 2020, but that eventually fell through.
Watch the podcast episode where Heidecker addresses the allegations below.
