Former ER star’s allegations against Noah Wyle have resurfaced after receiving backlash for his recent comments.
Noah Wyle has faced accusations of pro-Zionism leanings in recent years in the wake of the escalating Israel-Gaza conflict, especially after he was named among the celebrities who signed the Pro-Israel Under Attack letter in 2023. While the actor hasn’t explicitly stated his stance on the conflict, his recent comments about The Pitt‘s mass casualty sequence have intensified criticism
During his appearance on GQ, Wyle elaborated on the sequence that saw doctors dealing with the aftermath of a public shooting, revealing that it was modeled after a real-life response to a Las Vegas shooting. Moreover, the actor alleged that the protocols for approaching such a huge incident weren’t there until a doctor flew to Israel and apparently learned from their experiences when Israel was “on the receiving end of a terrorist attack”.
As a result, netizens were quick to criticize the comments for being tone-deaf, and this backlash has led to many unearthing Wyle’s past controversies. One in particular that has garnered some buzz is his former co-star Vanessa Marquez’s allegations against the actor and the rest of the ER crew, including George Clooney.
Noah Wyle’s ER Controversy: Revisiting Vanessa Marquez’s Claims
The NBC medical drama ER was a claim to fame for both Noah Wyle and George Clooney, but it wasn’t without its controversies. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, George Clooney condemned Harvey Weinstein after allegations against the producer emerged in 2017. In response to his tweet, his former ER co-star Vanessa Marquez accused the actor of allegedly contributing to her being blacklisted in Hollywood after she complained about harassment on set.
In a series of now-deleted tweets (via Yahoo Entertainment), Marquez, who starred as Nurse Wendy Goldman, alleged she was harassed by several crew and cast members, including Noah Wyle, whom she accused of racial harassment. Marquez, who tragically died in 2018 after a wellness check turned into an armed confrontation between her and the South Pasadena Police Department, claimed (via South Pasadenan):
B.S. Clooney helped blacklist me when I spoke about harassment on ‘ER.’ ‘Women who don’t play the game lose career’… I did… I’ve named them. P—y grabbers: Eriq La Salle, Terence Nightingall. Racial: Anthony Edwards, Noah Wyle and Julianna Margulies… S-xual (p—y grabbing) & racial. Mexican jokes EVERY day. Happened to all the women. They chose 2b victims. I fought.
It’s important to note that Wyle did have a reputation for being hard to work with during his ER days, which the actor acknowledged in recent years (via THR). As for the authenticity of these claims, there’s no way to verify them for certain, as Wyle never responded to her allegations. Clooney, on the other hand, did respond to Marquez’s claims at the time.
George Clooney’s Response to Vanessa Marquez’s Allegations
It’s important to note that Marquez didn’t accuse the Ocean’s Eleven star of harassing her. Instead, she implied that he was a supposed accomplice who allegedly conspired against her to get her blacklisted from Hollywood after she took her complaints to the showrunner and WB.
In his statement (via The Wrap), Clooney claimed he was in no way or shape involved with Marquez’s casting or departure from the show, alleging he had no clue she was blacklisted from Hollywood. His statement read:
I had no idea Vanessa was blacklisted. I take her at her word. I was not a writer or a producer or a director on that show. I had nothing to do with casting. I was an actor and only an actor. If she was told I was involved in any decision about her career then she was lied to. The fact that I couldn’t affect her career is only surpassed by the fact that I wouldn’t.
It’s difficult to definitively determine who was right or wrong. It’s possible that Marquez interpreted Clooney’s potential inaction in the alleged situation as a form of complicity rather than direct involvement. Even though NBC’s ER did earn Clooney recognition, at the time of Marquez’s exit, he didn’t exactly boast the same movie-star appeal. This makes it difficult to believe that he’d have possessed the clout to get someone blacklisted from Hollywood at the time.
As for Wyle, with season 2 of The Pitt commencing on a strong note, it remains to be seen how it’ll be received after his recent remarks.
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The Pitt is streaming on HBO Max (USA).
