Three women who worked on ABC’S hit show America’s Funniest Home Videos have detailed the volatile work environment maintained by the show’s producer Vin Di Bona Productions.
In an official complaint filed in 2019, Columbia Crandell, Tunisha Singleton, and Jessica Morse detailed sexual and racial harassment. In one disturbing instance, Crandall explained how her superior Philip Shafran attempted to take a photo under her skirt while in his office, testing out a gaming headset.
“I remember looking down, and then his shoes were right behind my feet. Somehow he has moved from sitting at his desk to being behind me in the corner,” Crandall detailed to The Hollywood Reporter. “I started to panic at that point… I took the headset off and turned to face him… And he had his phone out, and he was holding it by his waist, angling it downward. My first thought was, ‘He’s trying to take a picture up my skirt.’”
After the ordeal with Shafran, she confided in Morse, who then escalated the concerns to the company. VP of business development Lisa Black and COO Paul Lapointe told Morse during a work event that the company had already cleared Shafran of any wrongdoing following an investigation. The two attempted to scare Morse into keeping quiet about the allegations by telling her that she could be held “legally responsible” if she said anything deemed to be untrue. Soon after, both Morse and Crandall could no longer take the toxic work environment and left the company. They got in touch with Singleton and filed civil lawsuit against Vin Di Bona Productions and its digital platform, FishBowl Worldwide Media, for workplace racial and sexual harassment.
During her employment as a senior manager of digital partnerships and business development before being mysteriously laid off, Singleton says that her supervisor “decided to call [her] a crack whore and told [her] to stop doing blow in the bathroom and that [she] would never produce anything” in front of Lisa Black and several other colleagues. Black laughed at the comment but never once reprimanded the supervisor for humiliating Singleton.
Vin Di Bona released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter pledging that their staff’s safety is a top priority despite the damning accusations.
“The physical, emotional and psychological safety of our employees is always our highest priority,” the company said in a statement. “When accusations are made, we, like any responsible organization, have an obligation to act swiftly, thoughtfully, and respectfully to support the well-being and rights of all parties involved.”
America’s Funniest Home Videos debuted in 1989 and is currently in its 31st season.
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