Obama artist Kehinde Wiley denies allegations of sexual harassment

Based in New York Obama portrait artist More and more men are accusing Kehinde Wiley of sexual harassment and rape.

Earlier this week, activist Derrick Ingram alleged that Wiley raped and sexually assaulted him in 2021. UK-based artist Nathaniel Lloyd Richards accused Wiley of inappropriate touching and groping in 2019 and Terrell Armistead accused Wiley of rape.

Last month, Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko said Wiley attacked him twice at an event in Ghana in 2021.

Wiley went on Instagram on Tuesday and insisted that all these allegations are untrue.

“I must set the record straight on the false allegations that have been made against me,” Wiley wrote of Awuah-Darko. “My accuser’s disturbing accusations are baseless and defamatory. And while I have remained mostly silent, I must expose the truth about how he has persecuted me over the years.”

“We had a one-time encounter. Everything was consensual,” Wiley continued. He claimed that Awuah-Darko had “aggressively pursued” him for years, even flying from the UK to Nigeria to attend his birthday party. Wiley portrayed Awuah-Darko as seemingly obsessed and said his claims were “crazy” and “false.”

In his post, Wiley also addressed the rest of his accusers.

“What motivates these people to make these disgusting allegations? Money? Fame? An insatiable need for attention? Who knows… We live in a world where a single false social media post can destroy someone’s life, where people are tried and convicted online with no regard for the truth.”

“This is dangerous and wrong,” Wiley said. “I encourage anyone reading this post to take a closer look at my accusers and their motives.” Wiley’s lawyer Jennifer Barrett said that her client “intends to use all legal and other means at its disposal to defend its reputation.”