David Copperfield faces sexual misconduct claims

David Copperfield, the world's highest-paid magician, has denied newly-published allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour.

An investigation by The Guardian includes accounts from 16 women, relating to alleged incidents dating from the late 1980s to 2014. More than half of the accusers say they were under 18 at the time of the incidents, and three claim Copperfield drugged them before having sex with them. Others allege the magician groped them during live performances.

One woman said she met Copperfield in 1991 when she was 15 and kept in contact with him until the age of 18, when she says they had consensual sex. She told The Guardian she believes she was groomed. Copperfield's lawyers "acknowledged the relationship" between the pair "but denied any grooming took place", said the BBC.

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The investigation, which included interviewing more than 100 people as well as examining court documents, "highlighted common themes among the allegations", including claims by several of the women that Copperfield promised them "careers in modelling or the entertainment industry".

A representative for Copperfield told the BBC the allegations, which date from the late 1980s to 2014, were "false and scurrilous" and "the exact opposite of who David is".

In 2018, Copperfield denied historical allegations of sexual misconduct. "I've lived with years of news reports about me being accused of fabricated, heinous acts, with few telling the story of the accuser getting arrested and my innocence," he wrote on X (then Twitter). His lawyers added their client had never been charged with a crime.

"Separately, Copperfield has faced scrutiny" over his association with Jeffrey Epstein, The Guardian said. In January, unsealed court documents included details of an alleged conversation between the illusionist and one of Epstein's victims about rumours of sex trafficking surrounding the disgraced financier.

The documents did not implicate Copperfield in any crime. In a statement to The Guardian, Copperfield's lawyers said: “Our client did not know about Epstein’s horrific crimes. Like the rest of the world, he learned about it from the press.”

Update, 21 May 2024: A representative of David Copperfield said: "Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is. In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators. Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then. David requested the 'evidence' upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided. By contrast, whenever US law enforcement has looked into such matters, they have been investigated thoroughly and it has been found that there is simply no case to answer. The Guardian's characterisation is not who David is, and he continues to support anyone who has experienced any form of abuse or discrimination. The movement must succeed, but false accusations must stop for it to flourish. David will be considering the position with his legal team and will take such steps as may be appropriate over these false and scurrilous allegations."