Actress Amy Smart stood by husband Carter Oosterhouse, a carpenter who rose to fame on “Trading Spaces,” on social media Sunday after a former employee on one of his shows accused him of sexual misconduct.
“We are in a climate right now where it’s so wonderful and needed to have women coming forward to break their silence; it is vital and important for female equality. Period,” Smart wrote alongside a photo of herself, Oosterhouse and the couple’s young daughter on Instagram.
“A lot of the stories are horrific and need to be brought to light,” Smart continued, adding that the accusation against Oosterhouse was “now taking it too far and boundaries are being crossed.”
Kailey Kaminsky, who worked as a makeup artist on Oosterhouse’s HGTV show “Carter Can,” told The Hollywood Reporter last week that in 2008, the carpenter coerced her into oral sex during production and threatened her employment.
In a statement to THR, Oosterhouse said that he and Kaminsky had an “intimate relationship” but said it was “consensual because she initiated it the first time and many of the 15 or so times we had oral sex thereafter.” He also said Kaminsky never indicated that she was uncomfortable and that “I would have never done anything that I was not sure was mutually agreeable.”
Smart wrote on Instagram, “When you are in a CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP, you need to take responsibility for engaging in that and not play victim,” she continued. “IF a relationship does not work out the way you want it to, then sorry, but that is the risk you take when getting intimate with another person … We need to take responsibility and learn from our mistakes and choices.”
Smart also criticized the way the media covered the allegations, which she deemed “salacious,” “damaging” and “extremely hurtful.”
Kaminsky said the experiences that happened between her and Oosterhouse in 2008 led to her losing her job and being hospitalized for depression.
The makeup artist, who identifies as a lesbian, told THR that Oosterhouse asked her randomly one day for oral sex, and she made it clear that she was not interested. Kaminsky thought that Oosterhouse was just “goofing around” at first, but after a while, it seemed “as if he had tunnel vision. He was determined to get a blow job.”
“‘Do you enjoy your job?’” Kaminsky said Oosterhouse asked her after months of harassing her. “I said I did and in fact would like to work more, handling more of his personal appearances outside the show. He said, ‘Well, I can help you with that. But you need to do something for me.’”
The makeup artist said she was “so worn down from his advances” that she engaged in oral sex with the TV personality.
After the allegation surfaced, a spokesperson for HGTV told People, “While we have not been in production with Carter Oosterhouse on an HGTV series for many years, we take matters such as this very seriously. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind.” “Carter Can” ran on the network from 2007 to 2010.
The outlet noted that the show was produced by High Noon Entertainment, which makes shows for HGTV, TLC and Food Network.
A rep for the network added that it works with production companies to “investigate any allegations and take action where appropriate.”