Blunts & Blondes says “The Truth Shall be Shown” Regarding Sexual Assault Allegations

Blunts & Blondes implies that his defense against recent sexual-assault allegations will soon be made public.

Michael Guard aka Blunts & Blondes has been on the come-up in the dubstep space, but his future as a musician is now uncertain after recent allegations of sexual assault brought against him. Last month, a woman named Gabrielle Reinhardt posted a tweet claiming that the artist in question raped her at Borgore’s Foam Wonderland event in Indianapolis on July 27, 2019.

The allegation was uploaded on October 18 and read as follows: “He raped me when i was 19. i’m done being quiet about it. i’ve told a lot of people and no one believed me that’s why i stayed quiet. i’m done.” In a follow-up post, she wrote “i’d love to fix this problem in private but i don’t see that ever happening. i’m sure he’d rather attempt to sue me for defamation but i’m not lying.” Both tweets are now unavailable since Reinhardt has deleted her Twitter account.

Soon after, Blunts & Blondes put out a statement of his own denying the allegations and said he will be pursuing legal action: “Being falsely accused of rape is not something to be taken lightly. Sadly, anyone that would accuse me or suggest that I am capable of something so terrible doesn’t know the true nature of my character. I have only ever had consensual encounters. To throw around a claim so disgusting is beyond harmful. I will not engage in a game of online slander based on false narratives where there is an intention to possibly ruin or cancel my career. As a result, I am currently exploring all legal options available to me.”

The comments section was filled with a polarizing crowd choosing sides and debating cancel culture, false allegations, and the #MeToo movement. DJ and producer Moore Kismet even chimed in to express their disgust at Guard’s approach to the issue. 

just wanted to say that you’re a massive asshole for trying to “anyone who knows me” your way out of this and take legal action against your victims-

— Moore Kismet (they/them) 🦄✨ (@MooreKismet) October 19, 2022

As per Reinhardt’s statement, Guard invited her back to his hotel room after the event in Indiana, where they proceeded to use illicit drugs. After that, he forced himself on her and engaged in sexual acts that she did not consent to: “When Tristan left the room Mike ripped my pants off and started giving me oral. This was not consensual. Before I could process what was happening, Tristan came back into the room and this made Mike jump up and stop. Mike then got in the best next to me and made me put my hand on his dick and he was touching me under the covers. This was not consensual.”

Following this, DRINKURWATER, Benda, and Space Wizard all dropped out of their supporting gigs as part of Blunts & Blondes’ Life of a Stone tour. GRiZ also took down their collaboration, “Juicy,” from all streaming platforms following the allegation. When fans began discussing the absence of the song in the comments section of the Instagram post below, Blunts & Blondes responded by once again denying the allegation brought against him: “it’s not true at all. I’m actively working on the situation and the truth will be shown.” With fans showing him support in the subsequent comments, he once again posted a reply saying “my whole tour got cancelled.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_cngCPyd8/

Karan Singh

I am an Indian American music journalist based in Los Angeles. My interests include (but aren’t limited to) downtempo, industrial, drum & bass and trip hop. After working in the publishing industry as a copy editor for nearly three years, I decided to switch professions and become a writer. I have a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in Specialized Journalism from the University of Southern California. My aim as a writer is to explore the forces that energize creativity. I’ve always felt a natural pull toward the arts and entertainment space, and my stories seek to magnify the facets of its adjoining cultures.

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