After sexual assault allegations were leveled against him, actor Tenoch Huerta has released a statement denying the allegations.
After sexual assault allegations were leveled against him, actor Tenoch Huerta has released a statement denying the allegations.
Over the weekend, musician María Elena Ríos claimed on social media that Huerta sexually assaulted her, calling him “a violator and sex offender.” In one thread, Ríos said that “It’s very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and abuse of power of a sex offender who is loved in the world for playing a character in a movie like Tenoch Huerta.”
She also targeted the activist organization Poder Prieto, which she claimed is protecting Huerta after the group (which she had worked for in the past) shared a podcast with her.
In an opinion on it diversityHuerta denied these claims, calling them “false and completely unfounded”. The actor also said he would no longer let the claims go unchallenged.
“About a year ago, I dated Elena for several months. It was completely consensual at all times, as countless others can attest,” Huerta said in his statement. “And it was a loving, warm and mutually supportive relationship. After the ending, however, Elena began misrepresenting our interactions both privately and in front of groups of mutual friends.”
Huerta said that after their split, he “managed a team of lawyers to take the appropriate actions to protect my reputation and disprove these irresponsible and false allegations that can cause great prejudice and harm.”
While the actor says he’s “far from perfect,” he calls the claims “untrue,” but also says he’ll work to improve while denying the claims.
“While I’m by no means perfect, I know these claims are simply untrue. And while I will always work to improve, I must dispute claims that are both false and offensive. I am deeply grateful to my family and the people who have supported me, and I appreciate anyone who is willing to look at the facts and think before jumping to an untrue and unfair conclusion.”
Huerta rose to fame with his portrayal of Namor in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The actor has also appeared in Narcos: Mexico, as well as numerous films and television series set in Mexico.