NOT ME

Junot Díaz Denies Sexual Harassment Claims: ‘It Didn’t Happen’

The author said he was “distressed,” “confused,” and “panicked” by the accusations.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz denied allegations of sexual misconduct in a Saturday interview with the Boston Globe, claiming that his alleged forcible kissing of author Zinzi Clemmons “didn’t happen” and that the rest of the accusations are similarly false. He told the Globe that he was “distressed,” “confused,” and “panicked” by the accusations, and that "I was, like, 'Yo, this doesn't sound like anything that's in my life, anything that's me.'" Diaz also expressed regret over the statement he issued following the allegations, which some viewed as an admission of guilt. “That statement is the worst thing I've written, the worst thing I've put my name to,” Díaz told the Globe. “Boy, I wish I'd had the presence of mind to rewrite the damn thing." In the months since the accusations of unwanted kissing and inappropriate behavior have surfaced, Díaz has retained many of his prominent positions, such as teaching at MIT and editing the Boston Review, after each group conducted behavioral reviews. Not all employees agreed with the results—the Globe notes that after the Boston Review chose to keep Diaz, three editors resigned in protest.