‘EXPLOITED MY BODY’

Fifth Person Accuses Arcade Fire Frontman of Sexual Misconduct

The unidentified woman alleged that Win Butler displayed “emotionally abusive, manipulative, and toxic” behavior during their yearslong relationship.

Another person has come forward to accuse Win Butler of misconduct, saying the 42-year-old Arcade Fire frontman displayed “emotionally abusive, manipulative, toxic” behavior during a three-year relationship, Pitchfork reported Tuesday. The woman, pseudonymously called Sabina, approached the outlet after its August publication of a bombshell report detailing four people’s allegations of abuse against Butler. One accuser in the initial report alleged that Butler sexually assaulted them twice, while the other three said he’d used his power to pressure them into sex. Sabina told Pitchfork she’d been a 22-year-old waitress and student when she’d met the then-35-year-old Butler, who quickly started “using his power dynamic to exploit my body at times that were convenient for him.” Calling it “an abusive dynamic,” Sabina said she felt like she “just had to do what he said,” with Butler allegedly pressuring her to leave her roommate and boyfriend to live alone. “I was not really comfortable with some of the things he was asking me to do, but doing them anyway,” she said. “And that is ultimately dehumanizing.”