It star fires agent over sex abuse claims

Finn Wolfhard, the 14-year-old star of horror flick It and Netflix hit Stranger Things, has fired his agent Tyler Grasham, trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter said.

This comes after actor and film-maker Blaise Godbe Lipman posted a Facebook post alleging sexual misconduct by Mr Grasham, who works for management agency APA.

Mr Grasham is on leave from the company after being accused of sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour with young male actors.

A spokesman from the company told The Hollywood Reporter that "APA takes these allegations extremely seriously and is investigating this matter", adding that any further information was confidential.

Lipman had spoken out against Mr Grasham as part of the #MeToo social media campaign that has been rallying support for victims of sexual assault and harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

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In his Facebook post on Oct 16, Lipman wrote of an unnamed agent who got him drunk when he was 17 during a meeting to discuss working together.

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He added that the said agent was still working at APA and taking advantage of young boys.

A second post the next day revealed the agent's identity as Mr Grasham.

Lipman wrote that he had received a Facebook "poke" from Mr Grasham although they were not friends on Facebook nor have they spoken in over a decade.

"Was his poke passive-aggressive? An abuser making himself known, a quiet threat? An admission of guilt with a smirky, 'just try me'?"

He said he found it hard to believe that the company was unaware of Mr Grasham's "predatory behaviour".

After Lipman's allegations, more men revealed their stories. Film and TV editor Lucas Ozarowski, 27, told The Hollywood Reporter that Mr Grasham sexually assaulted him at his home in January last year.

Lipman said: "Although his power in this biz is nowhere near Weinstein level, the collective power of agents is massive. I hope the light that's shed by the newly empowered victims who are coming forward makes predators think twice.

"Change is slow, but I hope this is a big jump-start."

The Hollywood Reporter also said that according to sources, APA has hired an investigator to look into the claims and Mr Grasham has deleted his Facebook account and set his Instagram to private.