Comedian Accused Of Rape Sues Upright Citizens Brigade

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A comedian who was kicked out of Upright Citizens Brigade for rape allegations is now claiming that he's the real victim.

Aaron Glaser, 30, filed a federal lawsuit against the Hell's Kitchen-based group for violating his civil rights on the basis of gender discrimination and wrongful termination. Glaser claims that when he was fired by Upright Citizens Brigade in 2016, the group failed to conduct a formal investigation into "anonymous, reckless, hollow and wrongful allegations of sexual misconduct made against him," according to the lawsuit.

In 2016, Glaser was fired from the group after he was accused of drugging and raping at least two women. Glaser had been affiliated with the group since signing up for improvisational comedy classes in 2006 and started hosting monthly stand up comedy shows there in 2013, according to the lawsuit.

In a meeting at Upright Citizens Brigade's Midtown headquarters in 2016, the group's directors Shannon O’Neill and Alex Sidtis told Glaser "in the past people feel as though you raped them," the banned comedian claims in the lawsuit.

After Glaser was booted from Upright Citizens Brigade his "life fell apart," according to court papers. The word that Glaser was banned from the group for allegedly raping multiple women began trending on Twitter and New York City comedy venues and groups soon began to sever ties with Glaser.

"Glaser has been labeled domestically and internationally as a “rapist” and abuser and will have to live the rest of his life with this stigma," reads a lawsuit filed in federal court.

The comedian claims that Upright Citizens Brigade failed to properly investigate the rape allegations due to an inherent bias against men. Because Glaser was labeled a "privileged white man" the directors at Upright Citizens Brigade jumped to conclusions about his guilt, the comedian claims in court papers.

Glaser's lawsuit is demanding that compensation be paid for any past and future loses resulting from his firing and that the court mandate Upright Citizens Brigade to institute policies to prevent further gender bias at the company, according to court filings.

Photo by Ciara McCarthy / Patch