Two women have come forward alleging John Kricfalusi, creator of "The Ren & Stimpy Show," preyed on them when they were underage.
In a story published by Buzzfeed News on Thursday, Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice relay stories of being groomed as teenage fans of the popular early '90s cartoon show, only to find themselves pursued sexually by Kricfalusi, now 62.
Byrd says she wrote Kricfalusi a fan letter at age 13 and was elated when the animator then 39, responded. He sent her toys and visited her at the Arizona trailer park where she lived. When she was 16, she says, he flew her to his home in Los Angeles and touched her sexually.
Buzzfeed News writes that In the summer of 1997, before her senior year of high school, he flew Byrd to Los Angeles again, offering her an internship at his studio. She lived with him as his 16-year-old girlfriend and intern, and after she finished high school, Byrd moved in with him at age 17.
A lawyer for Kricfalusi admitted to Buzzfeed News that "for a brief time, 25 years ago, he had a 16-year-old girlfriend" and detailed a period of mental illness.
Katie Rice, who also had dreams of being an animator as a teen, says Kricfalusi befriended her when she was 14, even attending her 15th birthday party. He was 40. Kricfalusi eventually hired her to work for him, beginning a long span of sexual harassment.
Rice ultimately left, she says, after he made a joke about raping her and she found child pornography on his computer.
Through an attorney, Kricfalusi told Buzzfeed News he has never possessed child porn.
In a statement to Buzzfeed News, Kricfalusi's lawyer responded to the allegations in full.
"The 1990s were a time of mental and emotional fragility for Mr. Kricfalusi, especially after losing "Ren & Stimpy," his most prized creation. For a brief time, 25 years ago, he had a 16-year-old girlfriend. Over the years John struggled with what were eventually diagnosed mental illnesses in 2008. To that point, for nearly three decades he had relied primarily on alcohol to self-medicate.
"Since that time he has worked feverishly on his mental health issues, and has been successful in stabilizing his life over the last decade. This achievement has allowed John the opportunity to grow and mature in ways he'd never had a chance at before."
According to the Los Angeles Times, Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi in 1992 during the second season of the show's five-season run, citing failure to meet delivery deadlines.
Kricfalusi's short-lived "Adult Party Cartoon" ran on TNN in the early 2000s. TNN, a Viacom property that has undergone name changes and is now the Paramount Network, told USA Today in a statement it "never received any claims of sexual harassment (or other misconduct) against John Kricfalusi."
Nickelodeon declined to comment. "Ren & Stimpy" reruns still run nightly at 3:05 a.m. ET/PT on TeenNick, which is part of Nickelodeon.
Kricfalusi most recently made art for Miley Cyrus' 2014 Bangerz tour and screened a new animated short, "Cans Without Labels," at a film festival in 2016.
Earlier this week, Nickelodeon cut ties with Dan Schneider, the television producer behind many of the network's most iconic and enduring programs, including "All That," "iCarly," "Drake & Josh," "Zoey 101," "Victorious," "Kenan & Kel" and "Henry Danger."
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