Jared Leto is facing serious sexual misconduct allegations from ten women in a BBC documentary titled Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret, threatening to derail a career that had only recently shown signs of recovery.
Four of the accusers allege criminal sexual conduct that occurred when they were teenagers. The alleged incidents, which the documentary says span 2002 to 2016, include a sexual assault in a motel bathroom at 17, alleged statutory rape with another 17-year-old in California, a threatened sexual assault at 19, and grooming beginning at age 16.
Leto, 54, has denied all the claims. "I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life," he said in a statement. "These claims are absolutely and categorically false." He has not been charged.
What the Documentary Alleges
One woman told the BBC she was groomed by Leto and that he made repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16. She also alleged that his team sent her a nondisclosure agreement, which she refused to sign.
Four other women said they received what the BBC described as "strange and often very sexual" calls from Leto while they were in their teens. The BBC said it independently verified their accounts by speaking to people who knew about the encounters at the time and by examining photos and messages.
Two former crew members from Thirty Seconds to Mars also told investigators that Leto routinely invited underage girls to his dressing room on tour or to his home while recording.
One accuser alleged she first met Leto at a Las Vegas store where she worked. He invited her to his hotel, but the address turned out to be what she described as a "dingy, gross motel." She alleged that he called her into the bathroom while he showered and then grabbed her hand and used it to masturbate himself.
Career Already Under Pressure
The allegations arrived just as Leto appeared to be staging a comeback with Masters of the Universe, in which he played Skeletor. The film reached number one on Amazon Prime but earned only $113 million worldwide against a production budget estimated between $170 million and $200 million.
That followed a string of costly disappointments. Disney's Tron: Ares grossed $142 million against a $220 million budget. Sony's Morbius lost roughly $80 million. Haunted Mansion pulled in $117 million against a $150 million production budget.
Sources speaking to the Daily Mail said the new allegations compound an already difficult position. "Jared's career in film, TV and on stage with his music is very much in trouble," one source said. "He might be completely done, and he knows it."
A second source said the situation could have lasting consequences. "With these allegations hanging over him, even though he has denied them, it could be years before another major opportunity presents itself," they said, adding that studios and brands are increasingly reluctant to take on the controversy that comes with casting someone facing this level of scrutiny.
Industry Standing and What Comes Next
A third source said Leto currently has no film projects in production, meaning there will be no immediate box-office test and no studio release for networks to weigh pulling. "He will probably be on the black list at least in the immediate future," they said.
One source close to Leto said his agency is still standing by him as of Thursday. His band's latest tour with 30 Seconds to Mars remains scheduled to begin in April 2027.
Rumors about Leto's behavior with younger women are not new to Hollywood circles. In 2018, director James Gunn replied to a tweet about Leto with the remark "He starts at 18 on the dot?" before deleting it, though screenshots continued to circulate. In June 2025, Air Mail published a report interviewing nine women alleging a pattern of sexual impropriety spanning 2006 to 2012; Leto denied those allegations as well.
One source who has worked with Leto pushed back on the claims. "This is really hard to believe if true. He's such a nice guy, always on time, is totally a professional and respectful to everyone on set," they told the Daily Mail.
Leto's representatives had not responded to a request for comment from the Daily Mail at the time of publication.
