Cuba Gooding Jr. is clearing the air, suggesting he’s become an easy target for people lodging sexual assault allegations because he’s “accessible” and comes in contact with “all kinds of people.”
The Oscar-winning actor recently sat down with Extra to discuss his role in the new faith-based film The Firing Squad, opening this weekend.
During the conversation, Gooding denied the assault claims brought against him earlier this year in a lawsuit by music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones.
Related: Cuba Gooding Jr. Responds to Being ‘Pulled’ Into Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Diddy
The actor called the allegations “the most ridiculous thing ever.”
“Welcome to being a celebrity! Welcome to my world,” Gooding added.
Earlier in the interview, the Jerry Maguire actor said he learned to “stay neutral” when encountering people of all walks of life as a celebrity.
“People feel that I’m accessible to them, so I come in contact with all kinds of people, from people who adore you to people who are offended by you, people who feel you’re aggressive. And you have to learn that as you walk on this path, you must stay neutral,” he said.
“When people interpret what’s going on with you or what you’re being exposed to, you have to make sure that you know your intention,” Gooding continued. “You have to be accountable for your own actions, and I have been. I have been.”
As previously reported, in a complaint filed in February, Lil Rod accused Gooding of “touching, groping and fondling” him when they met on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht for a New Year’s Eve party ringing in 2023.
Gooding first broke his silence on the Lil Rod accusation in May while on the “PBD Podcast” with Patrick Bet-David.
Asked about the allegations against Combs, Gooding said on the podcast that he’s only met the mogul two or three times.
“I wake up in the morning, I turn on the Today Show, ‘Actor Cuba Gooding Jr.’ I was like, “Excuse me? Pulling me into this?’” the actor said on the podcast.
Last year, Gooding settled a rape lawsuit in Manhattan federal court moments before his trial was scheduled to start.
He was hit with two more lawsuits filed in New York Supreme Court in November 2023, by women who claimed the actor groped them in separate incidents in New York City in 2018 and 2019.
Watch the full interview below to listen to Gooding discuss The Firing Squad, the downsides of being a celebrity, and how his faith pulled him through dark times:
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