Actress Alyssa Milano Comes to Joe Biden’s Defense Amid Inappropriate Contact Claims

Alyssa Milano attends VH1 Trailblazer Honors at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2019. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Left-wing political activist and actress Alyssa Milano has backed former Vice President Joe Biden after two women accused him of inappropriate touching.

Milano, who is a prominent supporter of the #MeToo movement, posted a series of posts on Twitter expressing her support for the possible 2020 presidential candidate, along with a photo of Biden and herself.

“I am proud to call Joe Biden a friend,” Milano wrote on April 1. “He has been a leader and a champion on fighting violence against women for many years, and I have been fortunate to accompany him to events with survivors where he has listened to their stories, empathized with them, and comforted them.”

In a subsequent post, Milano described Biden as a “warm, generous individual who believes its [sic] on all of us to pay attention to women’s stories and experiences.”

Biden has been accused of kissing Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state representative, on the back of the head, an alleged encounter which Flores has recounted in an article titled, “An Awkward Kiss Changed How I Saw Joe Biden,” published in the New York Magazine.

“I felt two hands on my shoulders. I froze. ‘Why is the vice president of the United States touching me?’” Flores stated. “I felt him get closer to me from behind. He leaned further in and inhaled my hair. I was mortified.”

“He proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of my head,” she added.

A second woman, Amy Lappos, accused Biden of grabbing her during a fundraiser for Connecticut Democrat Rep. Jim Himes in 2009, reported the Hartford Courant.

“It wasn’t sexual, but he did grab me by the head,” Lappos told the Courant. “He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth.”

Biden’s spokesperson, Bill Russo, issued a response on April 1, addressing the allegations.

“The Vice President has issued a statement affirming that in all the many years in public life that he has shaken a hand, given or received a hug, or laid his hand on a shoulder to express concern, support; or reassurance, he never intended to cause discomfort,” Russo wrote.

Milano also commented on Flores’s accusation, saying that she respects the former state rep’s decision to share her story but added that “we cannot assume all women’s experiences are the same.”

Her reaction to the accusations is in stark contrast to how she reacted to allegations of sexual misconduct against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. In a video posted to social media, she called for people to “bang down [senator’s] doors” to stop Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

In an op-ed published on Variety, she described Kavanaugh as “entitled, aggressive, predatory, toxic” even though there was a lack of evidence to corroborate California professor Christine Blasey Ford’s decades-old allegations.

Milano wrote that Kavanaugh’s confirmation “continues to institutionalize sexual violence while setting the stage to remove many of the rights that generations of women who came before have won in hard-fought battle after battle.”

Like Milano, Meghan McCain, who is a columnist, also voiced support for Biden on social media.

“Joe Biden is one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of American politics. He has helped me through my fathers diagnosis, treatment, and ultimate passing more than anyone of my fathers friends combined. I wish there was more empathy from our politicians not less,” she tweeted.

Social Media Backlash

After writing the series of posts showing support to Biden, many social media users criticized Milano for the posts.

“Oh Alyssa no. You can count someone as a friend, have had nothing but positive interactions with them- & they can still have had harassed or assaulted other people. Being an impactful advocate means listening to & believing others ESPECIALLY when it’s out of your comfort zone,” one social media user wrote.

“Soooooo..... are his two accusers not to be believed? Or are we supposed to listen to all women??? I can’t keep all the hypocrisy straight,” another wrote.

“Big #metoo champ until it’s someone you like? Just because YOU have only had positive interactions w/ him doesn’t mean everyone has been fortunate enough to have the same. His intent doesn’t [expletive] matter,” another wrote.