Marcius Melhem was reported by eight women for sexual and moral harassment who were his subordinates, including actress Dani Calabresa.
In a new interview with Roberto Cabrini, airing today on Domingo Espetacular, Former humor director claims it’s ‘a combination of revenge’ and that, contrary to the information in the file, the eight women knew each other.
“It is obvious that these women knew each other. They came from the same core… Let’s talk theoretically: you and I worked together and we want to denounce the boss. We talked on WhatsApp for a year. We combined versions. They (wanted) to find a pattern in me. It was clear they were a match,” Melhem said.
“I know (the 8 women). you worked with me I have no doubt (that they would benefit from the denunciations)… what I can say is that it’s a combination of revenge,” he continued.
Melhem’s first interview with Cabrini was in December 2020, when Melhem didn’t know who the women accusing him were so he sued Dani Calabresa and his attorney. Two years later, the journalist said he had access to more than 1,200 pages of the trial to speak with the accused.
For Melhem, Dani blamed him when she was professionally contradicted. “She was against it in the (program) ‘Fora de Hora’ when I wanted her to present alongside Paulo Vieira, but she wanted to do it with a friend, Bento Ribeiro,” he said.
Dialogue at the trial would still show that Dani and Melhem were close, the former director of humor at Globo said. “Dani has never acted like a person who reacts to getting out of a tight skirt. She was looking for closeness. She called me to travel. It wasn’t a boss relationship,” he said.
Melhem says that five of the eight women accusing him showed solidarity in December 2019, the date of the first public indictment of Dani Calabresa in a newspaper, but later they began accusing him. One of them would have been outraged because she was in love and it wasn’t reciprocated, while another married woman said Melhem molested her when they found out he was in fact her lover.
The report even brought a new witness to the case from Melhem, a friend of Calabresa’s. The comedian claimed that person was not called by Calabresa because she wanted to hide it, as the three at the party had a relationship that would have motivated the sexual abuse charge.
He explained to Cabrini that he met with this witness a month later. “How would she find me if I bother her best friend?”
“Everything that happened at the party was consensual. We told each other at this party, me, Dani and a friend of Dani. (We exchanged) kisses and left happily. We continued to talk the next day, the next week, and the months that followed,” he said.
For Melhem, the text messages and the new witness weaken the narrative of Calabresa and the seven other women who are accusing him.
What did the defense of these women say? “The allegations are supported by testimonies and solid evidence. Unfortunately, intimidating victims and trying to disqualify them is a common strategy used by those accused of harassment.”