The Scandal Involving Elton John And His Ex Bodyguard, Explained
This article includes mentions of sexual harassment.
Elton John is no stranger to lawsuits, but 2015 and 2016 were particularly troublesome years. In March 2016, John's former bodyguard accused the Rocket Man of sexually harassing him in a car more than once. Just a month earlier, John had settled a different case with allegations that were similarly unsettling. In February 2016, he reportedly paid an undisclosed sum reaching six figures to a former employee who accused the singer of sexual misconduct and unfair dismissal when he was let go the previous June, The Sun reported in July 2016.
The British man, whose identity wasn't made public, dropped the case after reaching an agreement with his former employer. "The claims were always strongly denied, and we continue to deny them. Sir Elton John is pleased that the former employee withdrew them in full," his rep said. The case only came to light that many months later because John had taken legal measures to prevent the press from reporting on it.
It wasn't until July that the London Employment Tribunal ruled definitely in favor of The Sun following an appeal by John, allowing the publication to report on the accusations against him. "This case raised a fundamental issue of a free press being able to report legal cases against celebrities with deep pockets and armies of expensive lawyers," a spokesperson for the publication said in a statement. Conversely, John's case involving the security guard suffered no delays in reporting, and the details that came out mired John in scandal.
Elton John's bodyguard said he was repeatedly groped
Jeffrey Wenninger, a then-Los Angeles P.D. captain, accused Elton John of groping him on at least three different occasions when he was driving the singer to his Los Angeles home in 2014, when he worked as his security guard, according to the March 2016 lawsuit. As he tried to forcibly gain access to Wenninger's private parts, John also allegedly made inappropriate comments, such as "Get your todger out" and "Say hello to Uncle Elton."
Wenninger also accused John, who is openly gay, of speaking about his sexuality in what he considered to be a disrespectful way, including, "You have so many gay genes in you, they just haven't met up yet." Wenninger, who worked for John between 2002 and September 2014, was seeking an unspecified amount based on instances that happened between March and April 2014, though he said John acted inappropriately from the beginning of his employment. Wenninger added that John's behavior became more persistent and aggressive after 2010.
John denied the accusations. "This baseless lawsuit is brought by a disgruntled former security officer seeking to extract an undeserved payment," his lawyer said in a statement shared by The Guardian. "These claims are patently untrue and contradicted by numerous previous statements made by this plaintiff." Wenninger dropped the lawsuit in November 2014. The details behind his decision are unclear, but John said there was no settlement involved. "The case was withdrawn, with no payment made," John's rep told the BBC.
Elton John was sued by another security guard 24 years earlier
The issues with his former two employees aren't the only times the shady side of Elton John has come to light. In October 1992, a security guard filed a harassment complaint against John on accusations he had physically attacked him at Madison Square Garden, where the pop star had performed his AIDS benefit concert (seen above), The New York Times reported. Robert Simms contended John hit him when he was checking V.I.P. tickets, which prompted a police investigation.
Later that month, the 29-year-old security guard filed a lawsuit seeking a whopping $100 million in damages. "(John) did slash, hold, beat, punch, kick, strike, stomp, pummel and beat (Simms) viciously," Simms alleged, according to the New York Post. For John's part, his lawyer said he was trying to protect the audience from an aggressive guard. "(He) was giving fans a rough time when they were approaching the stage to dance to one of the numbers. Elton just reached out to the guy to get him to cool it and then went right back and performed," the lawyer responded.
Simms said he received medical care for headaches and persistent pain around his eye, he told WNYW. However, the Madison Square Garden on-duty physician who examined him said Simms' description of his injuries didn't match what had been observed. "The Garden management believes that Mr. Simms's claims of injury are inconsistent with the findings of the doctor's examination," a spokesperson told the NYT.