"They don't want his name. That's the thing people don't seem to understand."
Katherine Ryan says she will never talk about her experience with a TV "predator" again after she ignited a fierce debate around not naming him during a BBC documentary.
The Canadian comedian recently spoke to Louis Theroux and claimed that the man's behaviour was an "open secret" within the industry and that everyone knows.
The presenter and writer, known for her appearances on shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats, Your Face or Mine? and The Duchess, told Theroux during the BBC interviews series that it was "dangerous" for her to talk about the man, but revealed that she once confronted the fellow comic.
Read the original story here:Katherine Ryan says famous TV star is a ‘predator’ and everyone in industry knows
The 39-year-old said she had “called him a predator to his face and in front of everyone that day" but defended her decision not to name him, saying:
"It’s a litigious minefield because lots of people have tried to nail this person down for their alleged crimes and this person has very good lawyers.
Clip via BBC
"So am I going to put my mortgage on the line by saying who this person is or entering into any conversations like that?
"We've seen what happens to the people who talk about alleged predators."
Ryan added that "it's not really my story to tell… no one has perpetrated any sexual assaults against me".
The interview led to calls for Ryan to name the alleged predator.
Ryan has since spoken out on the matter in an emotional Instagram post.
She explained that the conversation was in the "context" of her own experience and the "shared experiences of my colleagues faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to take a job when you think you'll be working with a creep".
Ryan said she thought it was "fine" to speak about that experience when she was asked, but "wasn't trying to 'out' anyone or name anyone".
The comedian, who has previously called out the TV industry for being sexist and ageist, then delivered the harsh reality of the situation.
"They don't want his name. That's the thing people don't seem to understand. Papers, journalists, investigators are asking me for the WOMEN'S names," she explained.
"So they can ring them up, pressure them and print their stories and associate them constantly with this shit."
She ended the post with a plea, "leave these women alone" and a promise: "I will not be discussing this ever again so don't ask me."
