Sarah Michelle Gellar Worked On A Toxic Male Set

Sarah was on the show from 1997 to 2003 — easily the longest she’s been on any TV show in her very, very long career.

During a roundtable at The Wrap’s Power of Women Summit, Sarah talked about working “so long” on a “toxic male” set, and it sounded like she was talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“For so long, I was on a set that I think was known for being an extremely toxic male set,” she said. “And so that was ingrained in my head that that was what all sets were like, and that women were pitted against each other — that if women became friends, then we became too powerful, so you had to keep that down.”

Sarah also said that she’s since had the “opportunity” to work on projects with “so many more women and men that support women,” and that she’s “realized how easy an experience it can be” as a result.

“Unfortunately we’re still in that place where all of those departments a lot of times need to be women for us to have a voice,” she added.

If Sarah’s comments are indeed about Buffy it’s not particularly surprising. You might remember when former Buffy costar, Charisma Carpenter, accused the show’s creator, Joss Whedon, of abusive behavior on the show’s set, as well as on the set of Angel.

After Charisma came forward, Sarah released a statement in support of her. “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon,” she wrote.

“I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of all of them for speaking out.”