ABC Pulls ‘The Proposal’ Episode Following Sexual Assault Allegations Against Contestant Michael Friday

ABC’s spinoff The Bachelor, The Proposal, has only aired one episode as a brand new show. The second episode has been pulled by the network due to sexual assault allegations made against a contestant, Michael Friday, in a Facebook post by a woman named Erica Denae Meshke.

Meshke claims Friday assisted two older men in sexually assaulting her when they met up after matching on Tinder. The two met up in a lobby of an apartment complex in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Friday then left her alone with the men who appeared to be in their 50s. She also had a drink she suspected to be spiked in hindsight.

According to the Huff Post, Meshke was assaulted and threatened by one of the men in an apartment of the same building. She called the assault “unspeakable,” not providing any particular detail of what went down.

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Meshke didn’t initially report this to the police but has considered filing a report now. She told the Huff Post that Friday, “knowingly and willfully lured me into that apartment lobby with the intention of assisting the older man in a sexual assault scheme.”

She said she was shocked to see Friday on The Proposal‘s Facebook page and was driven to expose the ugly truth behind his smiley facade on camera.

“I may not be able to protect everyone, and I cannot erase the misery his victims have faced, but I will strive to make sure no one needs protection from Michael Friday ever again,” Meshke said.

Additionally, she said posting her story, which she previously kept “buried,” was somewhat helpful in helping her cope with the incident.

“If anything,” Meshke said, “it was more for myself, as a therapeutic way of finally sharing my story, after so many months of keeping it buried.”

Within hours of the post, she received numerous messages from other women who shared horrifying experiences with Friday. Also, four other women contacted her claiming he had drugged and raped them.

Here is her Facebook post:

ABC and Warner Brothers released a joint statement regarding the allegations against Friday to the Huff Post.

“An allegation has been made against a contestant on next week’s episode of ‘The Proposal.’ While the accusation was not related to the contestant’s appearance on the program, we take it very seriously. ABC and the producers of The Proposal are pulling the episode while this matter is under review.”

After receiving much support, Meshke said she will be signing off social media as her and her lawyer plan their next steps.