Arcade Fire's Win Butler Hit With Sexual Misconduct Accusations By Four People, He Insists There Was Consent

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler was recently slammed with sexual misconduct accusations by four individuals...

Arcade Fire’s Win Butler Hit With Sexual Misconduct Accusations By Four People, He Insists There Was Consent

According to a recent report, four individuals have accused Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler of sexual misconduct. Three women claimed to the magazine that they had various inappropriate sexual encounters with Butler, while one gender-fluid person claimed that Butler sexually assaulted them.

Butler formed his band, Arcade Fire, with his wife, Regine Chassagne, and admitted that he had had sexual encounters outside his marriage. However, the singer insisted that all the encounters were consensual and that he never initiated them.

Butler’s statement also spoke about his struggles with mental health issues and childhood abuse and reiterated his love for his wife and son. Chassagne also released a statement supporting Butler, insisting that he would never touch a person without consent.

Read on to find out more.

Four People Accused Win Butler Of Sexual Misconduct

The report by Pitchfork detailed the four accusations against Butler, three from women and one from a gender-fluid person. The three women alleged that their encounters with Butler were very “inappropriate given the gaps in age, power dynamics, and the context in which they occurred.”

The women claimed that their encounters with Butler started when they were between 18 and 23 years old, and he was between 36 and 39 years old. The fourth person claimed that Butler sexually assaulted them twice when they were 21 years old, and the singer was 34 years old.

Pitchfork stated that it viewed several screenshots of text and Instagram conversations between Butler and the four accusers. The news site also interviewed their friends and family, who recalled being aware of the alleged incidents when they occurred. In the report, all four accusers use pseudonyms to protect their identities.

Win Butler Insists They Were All Consensual Encounters

Butler responded to the allegations through his rep (per Pitchfork) and acknowledged having sexual encounters with the four people. However, the singer insisted that each encounter was entirely consensual and that the accusers initiated them, not him.

The report also included part of Butler’s statements, in which he insisted that he loves his wife with all his heart, despite how difficult it can be to “balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be.” He then clarified that he has had “consensual relationships” outside of his marriage to Chassagne.

Butler said, “I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. Most importantly, every single one of these interactions has been mutual and always between consenting adults. It is deeply revisionist and frankly just wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise.”

The singer-songwriter also insisted that he has “never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false.” Butler then reiterated that the relationships were consensual and said that he never wants to “be part of causing someone else’s pain.”

He Apologized For His Mistakes

Butler’s rep also provided a statement from his wife, Chassagne in which she expressed her support of Butler. The musician maintained that she believed that Butler would never touch a woman or anyone without their consent.

She wrote per Pitchfork, “I’ve known Win since before we were “famous,” when we were just ordinary college students. I know what is in his heart, and I know he has never, and would never, touch a woman without her consent and I am certain he never did. He has lost his way and he has found his way back. I love him and love the life we have created together.”