‘I did not assault women’: Morgan Freeman on sexual harassment allegations

Morgan Freeman says he did not assault women and that it’s not right to equate misplaced compliments or humour with horrific incidents of assault.

The Academy Award-winning actor made a second statement late Friday in response to a CNN report that multiple had women accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

READ MORE: Morgan Freeman accused of sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour by multiple women

A production assistant said Freeman tried to lift her skirt and subjected her to unwanted touching and comments. Other women said Freeman commented about their bodies, or made them uncomfortable by staring at them.

Freeman said he tries to make people feel appreciated and at ease around him. He said he made light-hearted jokes and compliments to women.

WATCH: TransLink puts Morgan Freeman voice announcements on hold amidst sexual misconduct allegations

“I am devastated that 80 years of my life is at risk of being undermined, in the blink of an eye, by Thursday’s media reports,” Freeman said in a statement on Friday, a day after he initially apologized.

“But I also want to be clear: I did not create unsafe work environments. I did not assault women. I did not offer employment or advancement in exchange for sex. Any suggestion that I did so is completely false,” he added.

The 80-year-old actor says that clearly wasn’t coming across the way he intended.

— With files from Reuters