A fourth woman came forward on Thursday to accuse embattled Sex and the City actor Chris Noth of sexual abuse, and claimed he’d forced himself on her.
Lisa Gentile, 54, claims she was ‘sexually abused’ by the actor in 2002 when she frequented Da Marino’s restaurant in Manhattan, where she met Noth, and the two became acquaintances.
One night, she said in a statement, Noth went up to her apartment because he said he wanted to see where she lives, but once he was upstairs, she said, he started kissing her and forcibly pulled her against him.
He then squeezed her breasts she said, before sliding his hands under his shirt.
‘I kept pushing his hands down, while he was pushing mine up,’ she said in a statement on Thursday, claiming he then pulled her hand towards his penis.
She said she was finally able to push him off, after which point, Gentile claims Noth got mad and started calling her a ‘tease’ and a ‘b****.’
The next day, she said, Noth called her friend’s phone and warned her that if she told another person about what happened she would be blacklisted in the industry.
Her attorney, Gloria Allred claims that the experience was ‘traumatic’ for Gentile, noting: ‘It’s had a very serious emotional impact on her.’
She has, however, maintained her successful singer-songwriter career, with a production deal with Dreamworks Animation, according to her website, which also notes that she is ‘not afraid to speak up about her #metoo experiences in the music industry from big name producers and venue owners (that remain nameless by choice) summing it up in her rock forward song Guys Like You.’
Gentile said on Thursday she was afraid to come forward over the past 20 years, but felt inspired to after four other women claimed Noth sexually assaulted them.
‘I feel like we should have our day in court,’ Gentile said.
Lisa Gentile came forward on Thursday claiming that Sex and the City actor Chris Noth forced himself onto her back in 2002
Gentile, right, is being represented by famed lawyer Gloria Allred, left
She cannot bring a suit against Noth, however, as the statute of limitations has expired.
‘The courthouse door is slammed shut in her face,’ Allred said in a news conference, urging for the passage of the Adult Survivors Act, which would allow women to bring lawsuits against their former abusers.
She asked Noth’s costars on Sex and the City to support the legislation, which would allow Gentile to bring a case against him.
Allred also said she has been contacted by some of the three other women who have previously accused the Sex and the City actor of sexual assault.
One of the other women claimed the actor groped her when she was working as a hostess and lounge singer at the Midtown Manhattan restaurant Da Marino in 2010. She was 18 at the time and Noth was 55.
She claimed he was constantly drunk at the restaurant and repeatedly pulled her onto his lap while groping her and ‘pressing me onto his erection.’
Another two women, using the pseudonyms Zoe, now 40, and Lily, now 31 telling the Hollywood Reporter on December 17 that the actor raped them.
Both of those accusers in the report claimed that Noth had sex with them from behind in front of a mirror, with the first attack allegedly taking place in 2004, while the second reportedly occurred in 2015, three years after Noth married his wife, Tara Wilson, with whom he has two children.
The two women both also allege that the attacks took place in one of Noth’s homes – the first in his Los Angeles apartment and the second in his New York City property – after the actor invited them over.
Both women claim that the recent publicity surrounding the Sex and the City reboot – And Just Like That – ‘stirred painful memories’ of their encounters with Noth, who has featured heavily in the news in the past week as a result of the shock death of his character, Mr. Big, in the first episode of the new series.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Noth, now 67, admitted that he had ‘consensual encounters’ with the two women in the Hollywood Reporter story, both of which reportedly took place while he was in a relationship with his wife, but he strongly denied any accusations that he assaulted them.
‘The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,’ the statement reads.
‘These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual.
‘It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.’
Noth’s most famous role is as Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) love interest John James ‘Mr. Big’ Preston on Sex and the City and now its spin-off
One of the accusers – using the pseudonym Zoe – said she first met Noth while working ‘in an entry-level position at a high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business’ in 2004.
She claims that the actor – who was then at the height of his Sex and the City fame and, according to Zoe’s then-boss was seen as a ‘god’ by her and colleagues – began flirting with her in the office.
At the time, Noth had been dating his now-wife Wilson for three years; the pair began their relationship in 2001 after first meeting at The Cutting Room, a New York jazz club owned by the actor, where Wilson, who was in her early 20s at the time, worked as a bartender.
However, according to Zoe, the actor began leaving ‘flirty’ messages on her voicemail – which her boss alerted her to.
Speaking to THR, the boss confirmed that she was aware of the messages, saying that it struck her as strange that the actor would be reaching out to her much younger employee, however she insists she was not in any way concerned by them.
Zoe claims that she was raped by Noth in his West Hollywood apartment when she was just 22 and he was 49 – alleging that the actor invited her and a friend over to the pool at his building. Her unnamed friend confirmed that the two visited the pool and recalled that they sat in the jacuzzi with Noth, who then left a book with Zoe while he went to his apartment to take a call.
She states that Noth then asked her to return the book to his home, telling her that he’d ‘love to know what she thought’.
When Zoe went up to his home to give the book back, she says Noth ‘kissed her’ as soon as she walked through the door, however she says she was not initially concerned by the kiss – and in fact thought it would be a ‘funny story’ she could tell her friends about.
However, she says Noth then pulled her towards him, moved her to his bed and removed her shorts and bikini bottoms, before raping her ‘from behind’ while they were ‘facing a mirror’.
She also claimed that the actor did not use protection, that he ‘laughed at her’ when she asked him to get a condom – and says she was left bleeding after the assault, and had to go to the hospital to get stitches.
‘It was very painful and I yelled out, “Stop!”‘ she told THR. ‘And he didn’t. I said, “Can you at least get a condom?” and he laughed at me.’
After the alleged assault, she says she returned to a friend’s apartment, which was located in the same building as Noth’s home, and tried to wash the blood out of her shirt, before being urged by her friends to go to Cedars-Sinai, where she told hospital workers that she had been assaulted.
‘I had stitches. Two police officers came. I wouldn’t say who it was,’ she says, claiming that she feared she would ‘not be believed’ and could ‘be fired’ if she publicly accused Noth of rape.
Although Zoe has not previously accused Noth of assault or rape, she says did speak to several people about the attack – including her boss at the time, who told THR that Zoe phoned her after the alleged rape and told her Noth had attacked her.
Speaking to the outlet, Zoe’s now-former boss said that her ex-employee sounded ‘upset’ and was ‘in shock’ during the phone call while relaying details of the ‘horrible’ incident, however she says Zoe insisted that she not tell anyone about it.
‘I was 25 at the time. It was a lot. I didn’t know what to do,’ the unnamed woman said.
Both women told THR that the recent publicity surrounding the release of the Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That prompted them to come forward with their claims
Noth’s character, Mr. Big, died of a heart attack in the first episode of the new reboot
Noth’s second accuser, Lily, who is now working as a journalist, told a similar story to THR, alleging that the actor raped her in his home in Greenwich Village after they struck up a flirty relationship while she was working as a server at former New York nightclub No.8 in 2015, when she was 25.
At the time, Noth – who was then 60 years old – had been married to his wife for three years and the couple had one child together, Orion, who was born in 2008. They have since had a second son, Keats, born in 2020.
Describing herself as a long-time fan of the actor – whom she knew from his days starring in Law & Order, as well as his role on Sex and the City – Lily says she was ‘truly star-struck’ when he began ‘hitting on her’.
‘He was hitting on me, for sure. I was flattered. I knew he was married, which is shameful of me to admit,’ she said.
According to Lily, Noth asked for her number and later asked her out for dinner; they arranged to meet at Italian restaurant Il Cantinori – which featured in an episode of the original Sex and the City series.
However, by the time the pair met at the eatery, the kitchen had closed, so Lily says they ‘had wine at the bar’ and discussed Noth’s lack of interest in appearing in a potential third Sex and the City movie.
Lily admits that she ‘had too much to drink’ but insists that she was ‘nowhere near blacking out’ when the actor invited her to his nearby home in Greenwich Village so that they could ‘sample his collection of whiskeys’ together.
The woman – who describes herself as being ‘not super sexually active’ at the time – insists that she did not believe he would try and have sex with her, and that she simply though they would ‘drink whiskey and talk about his acting career’.
Once inside his ‘amazing’ home, Lily says the pair listened to music and discussed the actor’s collection of art and fashion books, before he began trying to ‘make out with her’.
Although she admitted that she ‘cautiously entertained’ him, she says that she was hesitant because he was ‘older and looked older’ than her.
However, Lily says he became more forceful as time went on, claiming that he ‘kept trying and trying and trying’.
‘I should have said no more firmly and left,’ she said, claiming that ‘the next thing she knew’ he had pulled down her pants and ‘was standing in front of her’, before ‘thrusting his penis into her mouth’.
She says that she mentioned the fact that he had a wife and child, only for the actor to tell her that ‘marriage is a sham’ and ‘monogamy is not real’. Lily claims Noth then raped her from behind in a chair in front of a mirror.
‘He was having sex with me from the back in a chair. We were in front of a mirror. I was kind of crying as it happened,’ she says.
After the alleged assault took place, Lily says she went to the bathroom and put on her skirt, claiming that she ‘felt awful’ and ‘totally violated’.
‘All of my dreams with this star I loved for years were gone,’ she added.
The second woman – Lily – claims that the alleged attack took place in Noth’s Greenwich Village apartment (building pictured) after they met while she was working as a server in a club
Lily says she was working as a server in the VIP section of New York nightclub No. 8 (pictured), which has since closed, when Noth ‘hit on her’ in 2015
While in an Uber home, Lily says she spoke to a friend – who was named Alex by THR – on the phone, whom she told that Noth had sex with her ‘pretty forcibly’. Despite her friend insisting that Lily should phone the police, she says she refused to.
Speaking to the publication, Lily’s friend Alex confirmed her story and claimed that she listened to a voicemail Noth left on Lily’s phone after the incident.
According to Alex, Noth said in the message: ‘Hey, hope you didn’t take anything wrong last night. We had fun. Just want to make sure you didn’t take it the wrong way.’
However Lily offered a different recollection of the message, claiming that Noth told her: ‘I had a nice time and would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk to your girlfriends. If we could keep this between you and me, that would be great.’
Lily also handed over text messages sent between herself and Noth in March and April 2015 to The Hollywood Reporter, in which the pair seemingly discussed the incident, with the actor asking whether Lily ‘enjoyed their night last week’, adding that he ‘thought it was a lot of fun’ but that he ‘wasn’t quite sure how she felt’.
According to the outlet, Lily responded that she ‘certainly enjoyed [Noth’s] company’ but that she ‘felt slightly used’, before suggesting that they continue their conversation on the phone.
Noth went on to propose that the pair meet up for another date, sending her messages suggesting that they ‘have a drink’ and telling her that it ‘didn’t have to be at his place although he has the best whiskey’.
In another message seen by THR, Noth reportedly asked Lily: ‘Oh mysterious one… where did you go.’
Lily says she agreed to see him for dinner on one occasion but ultimately canceled and the two did not meet again.
While in an Uber home, Lily says she spoke to a friend – who was named Alex by THR – on the phone, whom she told that Noth had sex with her ‘pretty forcibly’. Despite her friend insisting that Lily should phone the police, she says she refused to.
Speaking to the publication, Lily’s friend Alex confirmed her story and claimed that she listened to a voicemail Noth left on Lily’s phone after the incident.
According to Alex, Noth said in the message: ‘Hey, hope you didn’t take anything wrong last night. We had fun. Just want to make sure you didn’t take it the wrong way.’
However Lily offered a different recollection of the message, claiming that Noth told her: ‘I had a nice time and would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk to your girlfriends. If we could keep this between you and me, that would be great.’
Lily also handed over text messages sent between herself and Noth in March and April 2015 to The Hollywood Reporter, in which the pair seemingly discussed the incident, with the actor asking whether Lily ‘enjoyed their night last week’, adding that he ‘thought it was a lot of fun’ but that he ‘wasn’t quite sure how she felt’.
According to the outlet, Lily responded that she ‘certainly enjoyed [Noth’s] company’ but that she ‘felt slightly used’, before suggesting that they continue their conversation on the phone.
Noth went on to propose that the pair meet up for another date, sending her messages suggesting that they ‘have a drink’ and telling her that it ‘didn’t have to be at his place although he has the best whiskey’.
In another message seen by THR, Noth reportedly asked Lily: ‘Oh mysterious one… where did you go.’
Lily says she agreed to see him for dinner on one occasion but ultimately canceled and the two did not meet again.
According to Lily, she and Noth went on a date to Italian eatery Il Cantinori – however the kitchen was closed by the time they got there, so she says they drank wine at the bar
The restaurant actually featured in season four of Sex and the City, serving as the location for lead character Carrie Bradshaw’s 35th birthday party (pictured)
Following their revelations in the Hollywood Reporter story, a third woman, actress Zoe Lister-Jones detailed her encounters with the embattled actor in an Instagram post, claiming that he was ‘sexually inappropriate’ to women who worked at a New York City club he owned, and sniffed her neck while drunk on set of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
The actress known for her work on Life in Pieces began her statement: ‘Last week, my friend asked me how I felt about Mr. Big’s death on And Just Like That, and I said honestly, I felt relieved,’ she wrote, referring to Noth’s role on Sex and the City and its spin-off.
‘He asked why, and I told him it was because I couldn’t separate the actor from the man, and the man is a sexual predator.
‘My friend was alarmed at my word choice. And to be honest, so was I.
‘I hadn’t thought of the man in so many years, and yet there was a virility to my language that came from somewhere deep and buried.’
Actress Zoe Lister-Jones, pictured at the 2021 Tribeca Festival, accused Noth of being ‘sexually inappropriate’ when she guest starred on Law and Order: Criminal Intent
In her Instagram story, Lister-Jones said she was ‘relieved’ by the death of Chris Noth’s character on And Just Like That because she remembers him being ‘consistently sexually inappropriate’ with a female promoter and sniffing her hair when she guest starred on Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Lister-Jones then explained: ‘In my twenties, I worked at a club in New York that Chris Noth owned and on the few occasions, he would show up, he was consistently sexually inappropriate with a fellow female promoter.’
‘That same year, I was a guest star on Law and Order, and it was his first episode returning as a detective after “SATC,”‘
‘He was drunk on set,’ she alleged in her statement, noting: ‘During my interrogation scene he had a 22 ounce beer under the table that he would drink in between takes.
‘In one take, he got close to me, sniffed my neck and whispered, “You smell good.”
‘I didn’t say anything. My friend at the club never said anything. It’s so rare that we do.’
‘Part of being a woman in this world is taking a certain amount of pride in knowing how to handle yourself in these situations,’ she continued.
‘In denying their impact as a means of survival. And burying the feelings that come with the transgressions that we have been taught are simply to be expected.
‘My experiences are small in comparison to the accounts of assault that have so bravely been shared today.
‘Navigating predation at any level is a burden all woman have to bear. And for the most part there is no accountability and no consequence.
‘Chris Noth capitalized on the fantasy that women believe Mr. Big represented,’ she alleged, concluding: ‘F*** Mr. Big.’
Lister-Jones guest starred on Law and Order: Criminal Intent in 2005, the first year Noth returned to the series following the original run of Sex and the City, in an episode entitled Diamond Dogs.
It was unclear which club she claims Noth was ‘sexually inappropriate’ at. According to Page Six, Noth co-owns The Cutting Room in Manhattan and was an investor in The Plumm, which closed in 2009.
She claimed that her experiences were small in comparison to the other allegations against Noth that were reported on Thursday
She concluded her statement by cursing out Noth’s character on Sex and the City, claiming that he capitalized on the role to seduce women
Chris Noth has since doubled down on his vehement denial of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted two women while expressing his ‘hope’ that he will spend Christmas with his wife and kids, as he stepped out near his home in the Berkshires, two days after she was pictured in Los Angeles without her wedding ring on.
The 67-year-old actor emerged in Massachusetts on Wednesday, when he spoke with a photographer to once again deny sexual assault accusations from two women, who aired their allegations in an explosive report in The Hollywood Reporter last week.
When asked for further comment on the matter, Noth simply said: ‘You have my statement right? My statement is out, I rest by my statement, I’ll now let the chips fall where they may. My statement is my statement, that’s all I can give.’
In his statement, Noth denied any accusations that he sexually assaulted two women – although he admitted to having ‘consensual encounters’ with them, both of which are understood to have taken place while he was in a relationship with his wife, Tara Wilson.
After the photographer suggested that Noth is ‘innocent until proven guilty’, the actor replied: ‘Well yeah, but you know that’s the way it is’, before saying he ‘hopes’ that he will get to spend the holidays with his wife of nine years and their two sons.
He then flashed a smile and a peace sign at the camera, before walking off. He kept his wedding finger concealed in the pocket of his black jacket during the outing, which comes just two days after Wilson, 42, was pictured without her wedding ring as she emerged outside their home in Sherman Oaks, California, 2,800 miles away from where Noth was seen.
The accusations against Noth are said to have left the actor’s wife, Tara Wilson, devastated, with sources saying that she is ‘very upset’ and planning to spend Christmas away from her husband, with whom she shares two sons: Orion, 13, and Keats, 18 months..
Further speculation about the future of the couple’s relationship was prompted this week when DailyMail.com published exclusive images of Wilson, 42, outside the family’s home in Sherman Oaks, California, without her wedding ring on, nearly 3,000 miles away from the Berkshires property where her husband is currently staying.
And in the wake of the scandal, Noth has lost a planned $12 million deal to sell his tequila brand and was fired from the series The Equalizer.
Chris Noth has doubled down on his vehement denial of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted two women while stepping out near his summer home in the Berkshires on Wednesday
When asked for further comment on the matter, Noth, 67, simply said: ‘You have my statement right? My statement is out, I rest by my statement, I’ll now let the chips fall where they may. My statement is my statement, that’s all I can give’
His wife, Tara Wilson, was seen on Monday getting into an SUV outside the family’s gated home in Sherman Oaks, and she did not appear to be wearing her wedding ring
Noth has vehemently denied that he assaulted the women, but did admit to sexual relations with them, describing the incidents as ‘consensual encounters.’
Whether or not the incidents were rape or consensual, a source told The Sun that Wilson was caught unawares that he was having anything to do with other women.
‘He may be non-monogamous, we have established that his wife didn’t know,’ the source said.
‘If anything, he is guilty of that. She is in LA and is very upset… she’s not doing well. They planned to spend Christmas together but that is now unknown.’
The source, a friend of Noth’s, also insisted that the actor is ‘no Weinstein’ and that ‘all his friends are sticking by him.’
On Monday evening, the actor’s Sex and the City co-stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, issued a statement about the accusations made against him, saying: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth.
‘We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.’