‘Below Deck’ Star Gary King Sued For Alleged Sexual Battery

“Below Deck” star Gary King has faced a lot of backlash during his time on the hit Bravo series. Today, however, he’s facing new legal woes.

According to a lawsuit, Gary King and Bravo are being sued on several counts, including sexual battery, assault, harassment, and wrongful termination.

In a complaint obtained by People, Samanta Suarez, a beautician working behind the scenes for “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” detailed her alleged interaction with King in 2022. According to the filing, Suarez had an unwelcome interaction with King, in which the reality star is said to have “grabbed her” and “restrained” her by the upper body after she brought water and snacks to his room at a producer’s request.

The filing also claimed that King “pressed his entire body against her” after she entered his living space, causing Suarez to attempt to “fight her way out.” Suarez was allegedly “kicking and elbowing King and screaming at him to get off of her.”

It’s stated elsewhere in the report that after Suarez was able to break free, King shut the door with his hands before pressing “his entire body weight” against it. Suarez noted that she was “sure she was about to be raped,” saying she “braced herself;” however, a phone call from another production member stopped the interaction, allowing Suarez to make her way out of King’s room.

According to the complaint, Suarez reported the alleged interaction to one of the show’s producers, who informed her that King had confirmed “everything” during a private conversation.

A reported email was sent out following the matter, which detailed King’s contrition over the reported situation. The filing said that the “Below Deck” showrunner, Courtland Cox, clarified that King would be fired if his alleged behavior continued.

The filing also noted that Suarez’s boyfriend, Grey Duddleston, a camera operator on the show, complained about King.

Per the document, Duddleston witnessed King’s “disturbing, sexually aggressive behavior” on the set of their show. He claimed to have seen King “grope” two female production members before saying the reality star touched “the genitals of two camera operators while he was under the influence.”

Duddleston reportedly shared the information with Brenda Lacy Davis, the head of human resources for the show’s production company, who eventually revealed that Duddleston was under an investigation of his own for “inappropriate use of the walkie-talkie system.”

In the complaint, Suarez shared that once production wrapped on their season of “Below Deck,” she discovered that she and her boyfriend weren’t allowed to return for another season of work.

According to the filing, the pair had allegedly been placed on a “do not hire list.”

Suarez and Duddleston have requested that the court award them “money damages to compensate them for their injuries and losses.”

Bravo watchers replied to the shocking lawsuit against King and the network online, and according to the reactions, many felt they saw this coming.

“Surprised it took this long,” someone wrote. “Gary is ridiculously inappropriate. Can’t believe he was back after last season.”

Another seemingly agreed before slamming the show as “one big sexual misconduct.”

“Bravo treats their male talent differently,” she wrote on X. “They knew about these allegations long ago, and they still hired him back.”

Glanville’s bold reaction to the case comes two years after the network sidelined her for her alleged involvement in a situation with Caroline Manzo, who also sued the network for sexual harassment and assault.

In the legal documents, Manzo claimed that Glanville mounted her on the couch before “forcibly” squeezing “Manzo’s cheeks together … while humping her” during the production of an unaired season of “Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip.”

Glanville’s legal team responded to the claims and said that their client “followed what the producers asked of her.”

They continued, “She is innocent of these absurd accusations that have weighed on her mental and physical health for far too long without a word of support from Peacock, Shed, or Bravo.”