Gary King, along with Bravo, its parent company NBCUniversal, and production companies 51 Minds and Endemol Shine, are being sued.
Over a year after hair and makeup artist Samantha Suarez accused Gary of sexually assaulting her while drunk in a hotel room in Italy amid production on the fourth season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, she and camera operator Grey Duddleston have filed a lawsuit with the Superior Court of California, accusing the defendants of 16 claims, including sexual battery, assault, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and emotional distress.
According to the complaint, on July 3, 2022, Gary allegedly held Samantha hostage in his hotel room, physically restraining her from leaving until a phone call disrupted the scary encounter. However, while Samantha reported the incident to 51 Minds, and Gary was said to have wrongdoing, he received only a warning from the production company.
A while later, Gary was once again reported for inappropriate behavior, with Grey accusing him of non-consensual sexual contact with numerous crew members.
Still, after an investigation, it was Samantha and Grey who were fired and put on a “do not hire” list, which resulted in the end of their production careers. In fact, NBCUniversal and 51 Minds accused Samantha of “tainting the investigation,” and they encouraged her to stay silent about her encounter with Gary. And although she was offered mental health support, it was only allowed under strict guidelines.
Samantha and Grey are now seeking compensatory and punitive damages for “emotional distress, lost wages, and reputational harm, along with accountability from the production companies for fostering a hostile work environment and failing to prevent harassment,” per an email sent to Reality Blurb.
While Gary continued to work with Bravo in the months that followed the incident with Samantha, going on to appear on Below Deck: Sailing Yacht season five, he was removed from the BravoCon lineup in 2023 and edited out of certain season five scenes in 2024.
Following the sharing of the news, Brandi Glanville, 52, reacted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Bravo treats their male talent differently,” she wrote. “They knew about these allegations long ago and they still hired him back as well as knowing about James Kennedy, and still employing him.”
As fans well know, Brandi has made her own legal threats against Andy and Bravo, accusing the Watch What Happens Live host of sexual harassment and abusive behavior, and suggesting that producers encouraged her to act provocatively with her Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip co-star, Caroline Manzo, 63, who filed her own lawsuit against the network last year after allegedly being sexually assaulted by Brandi.
As for James, 32, he was arrested for domestic violence against girlfriend Ally Lewber, 29, in December, but the charges against him were ultimately dismissed.
