‘VILE AND DISTURBING’

Vanessa Bryant Lashes Out at Evan Rachel Wood for Calling Kobe ‘a Rapist’ the Day He Died

Roughly a year later, Kobe Bryant’s widow said Wood’s remark was “vile and disturbing.”

Vanessa Bryant lashed out at Evan Rachel Wood on Saturday for what she described as a “vile and disturbing” tweet about her late husband by the actress posted more than a year ago. On the day of the fatal helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter in January 2020, the Westworld actress tweeted, “What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe’s family. He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. All those truths can exist simultaneously.” Vanessa Bryant reacted Saturday, roughly a year later, via Instagram: “This just came to my attention...vile and disturbing to say the least. Behavior like this is part of the reason why innocent black men go to jail for crimes they didn't commit. An accusation doesn't make someone guilty.” A 19-year-old accused Bryant of raping her in 2003 in a Colorado hotel room, but the charges were later dropped when she refused to testify against him. Kobe denied the allegations.