Reacher star Alan Ritchson says he was sexually assaulted by a photographer in his early days of modeling: ‘It left scars’

Reacher star Alan Ritchson claimed that he was sexually assaulted while he worked in the modeling industry.

The 41-year-old actor said the incident happened while he was ‘one of the highest paid models at the agency’ and offered a gig with a ‘very famous photographer’ in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday.

‘I was sent into a hotel room to do nudes with the promise that if I did the shoot, he would offer me a very lucrative campaign for a magazine and a clothing line,’ he explained. ‘I was sexually assaulted by this guy.’

The North Dakota native said he immediately left the photo shoot, drove to his agency’s office, and told them to never call him again.

‘I quit the industry and it was the last photo shoot I’ve ever had. Those pictures were never seen or published,’ he claimed. ‘That was it. I swore it off and thank God acting found me at the exact same time so I was able to make a switch to a new career, but it left some scars.’ 

Ritchson did not name the photographer.  

‘Let’s be honest, it’s like legalized sex trafficking,’ he said of modeling. ‘The industry is not regulated, and it’s a widely known secret that if you’re hired on a job, you’re basically being passed off to a photographer to be trafficked.’

He said that there were numerous occasions when he found himself in these situations where sexual abuse seemed to be the objective, and the paycheck he desperately needed to survive served as the incentive. 

‘You’re always dancing around this very terrible line of, “How do I keep the job and not completely offend this photographer or this agent or whoever set this thing up, and how do I not get raped?”‘

Ritchson said he deeply empathizes with women who face power struggles and predatory behavior in the workplace. 

‘If I really had to, I could get myself out of whatever room I was in through a physical altercation. Most women don’t have that option. Imagine how terrifying it must be.’

The action star did mention that his modeling work for the department store JCPenney held a different experience. 

‘Nobody was trying to get you naked and oiled up in the back of a hotel room so they could sexually assault you or threaten you that if you didn’t do it, you wouldn’t get a campaign.’

He also weighed in on a 2018 New York Times report of sexual misconduct allegations against two famous fashion photographers. 

‘Some of the stories [from the expose] were just like mine. I was just starting to build a platform and get my voice in the business, and I wondered, “Should I say something?” Because all of the stories that those models were telling were my own. It’s all true.’

Although Ritchson moved on from modeling after briefly exploring an American Idol audition in 2004 and securing a few small acting roles shortly thereafter, he still found himself confronting sexual harassment. 

His producing partner threatened to ruin him if he refused to engage in a sexual relationship with her. 

‘She gave me an ultimatum to come to her room and said that if I didn’t, she would destroy the business and she would destroy me by calling TMZ to claim I sexually assaulted her,’ he said. 

‘It was really disappointing and became a perfect storm. It really broke me in that moment, and it took me a while to recover. I was super depressed and didn’t know how to navigate that.’ 

However, years later, while married with children, Ritchson reached a breaking point and attempted to take his own life. 

‘I hung myself. It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there,’ he said. 

He credits divine intervention for what followed next. In a vision, his sons, now aged 11, 10, and 8, appeared to him as adults in their mid-30s, just a few years younger than he was then.

‘They calmly asked me not to do it, and told me that they wanted me to be here, alive and part of their lives.’ 

He said he was then able to pull himself up off the rafters before blacking out. 

‘I was diagnosed as bipolar right after. Deep down, I was comforted to know, “OK, there’s a name for this.”‘

After the diagnosis, a friend suggested he try MDMA therapy with his wife Catherine. 

‘I had never done drugs but I was truly, like, “Well, I might kill myself tomorrow, what do I have to lose?” So, I did it. 

‘I swear to God, the biggest light bulb went off, and it rewired my brain in the best way. MDMA is a proven therapy to treat PTSD in veterans, and it’s something that can work in cognitive therapy settings.’

The therapy session made him reflect on his existential journey and conclude that his purpose is ‘to make the world a better place and serve others.’ 

Ritchson’s epiphany prompted him to seek out more fulfilling opportunities in his career, ultimately leading him to the TV series Reacher, adapted from the popular Jack Reacher novels penned by British author Jim Grant, writing under the pseudonym Lee Child. 

Reacher debuted as a massive success in February 2022, immediately topping Amazon Prime Video’s streaming charts, marking a first for the platform. 

It quickly became one of the most-watched series debuts ever, accumulating 1.84 billion minutes of watch time in its first week. Within days, it was renewed for a second season. 

‘What got me ready for Reacher was all the losses that I took early on,’ Ritchson said.