Major Controversies Surrounding Steven Seagal: A Detailed Timeline
A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Steven Seagal.
Steven Seagal is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. Holding a 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he started his career teaching martial arts in Japan, becoming the first American to teach in an aikido dojo. Later, he moved to Los Angeles and continued teaching. Seagal debuted as an actor in 1988 with Above the Law, notable for being the first American film to showcase aikido in fight scenes. He has starred in over 50 films.
1969: Death of Morihei Ueshiba
In 1969, Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of aikido) died. Steven Seagal later claimed he was his student even though it was unlikely due to him only being 17 at the time.
April 20, 1991: Hosting Saturday Night Live
On April 20, 1991, Steven Seagal hosted Saturday Night Live, an experience later regarded negatively by cast and crew due to his humorlessness and treatment of others.
May 1991: Sexual harassment allegations surface against Seagal
In May 1991, during the filming of "Out for Justice", Warner Brothers employees Raenne Malone, Nicole Selinger, and Christine Keeve accused Steven Seagal of sexual harassment. Malone and another woman received approximately $50,000 each in an out-of-court settlement in exchange for remaining silent.
1991: Sexual Harassment Accusations
Starting in 1991, Steven Seagal faced accusations of sexual harassment or assault from multiple women, marking the beginning of controversies in his career.
September 26, 1992: Nicolas Cage's Monologue on SNL
On September 26, 1992, during Nicolas Cage's monologue on Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels referenced Steven Seagal as the "biggest jerk" to have been on the show, highlighting the negative experiences with Seagal's hosting.
1992: LeBell added to Robert Wall's "Dirty Dozen"
In 1992, Gene LeBell was counted as an additional member of Robert Wall's "Dirty Dozen", a group of martial artists willing to answer a public challenge made by Steven Seagal. LeBell however declined to participate.
1993: Fujitani's Interview
In 1993, Miyako Fujitani stated in an interview that Seagal was awarded the black belt because the judge fell asleep during Steven's presentation.
August 1995: Sexual Harassment case against Seagal dismissed
In August 1995, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki dismissed the employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and breach of contract case filed by Cheryl Shuman against Steven Seagal, deeming the claims "repetitive and unintelligible".
October 2000: Anthony Ciccone visits Seagal during filming of Exit Wounds
In October 2000, Gambino family captain Anthony Ciccone visited Steven Seagal in Toronto during the filming of Exit Wounds.
January 2001: Seagal meets with Anthony Ciccone in Brooklyn
In January 2001, Primo Cassarino and other gangsters brought Steven Seagal to a meeting with Anthony Ciccone at a Brooklyn restaurant, where Ciccone threatened Seagal to either make four movies with Nasso or pay a penalty.
2001: Seagal seeks help from Genovese crime family
In 2001, Steven Seagal sought help from Genovese crime family captain Angelo Prisco to act as a "peacemaker" and visited him in prison, paying Prisco's lawyer $10,000.
March 17, 2003: Cassarino, Ciccone and others convicted of racketeering
On March 17, 2003, Cassarino, Ciccone and others were convicted of labor racketeering, extortion, and 63 other counts. Steven Seagal testified for the prosecution about the mobsters' extortion attempt.
August 2003: Nasso pleads guilty to extortion conspiracy
In August 2003, Julius Nasso pleaded guilty to the charge of extortion conspiracy.
February 2004: Nasso sentenced to prison, fined, and ordered to take mental health counselling
In February 2004, Julius Nasso was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, fined $75,000 and ordered to take mental health counselling upon release.
January 2008: Nasso drops lawsuit against Seagal in out-of-court settlement
In January 2008, Julius Nasso agreed to drop a $60 million lawsuit against Steven Seagal for alleged breach of contract after the two settled out of court.
April 12, 2010: Kayden Nguyen files lawsuit against Seagal
On April 12, 2010, Kayden Nguyen filed a lawsuit against Steven Seagal alleging sexual harassment, illegal trafficking of females for sex, failure to prevent sexual harassment, and wrongful termination. She requested over one million dollars in damages.
April 14, 2010: Suspension of Steven Seagal: Lawman
On April 14, 2010, 'Steven Seagal: Lawman' was suspended by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff due to a sexual trafficking lawsuit filed against Seagal.
July 14, 2010: Kayden Nguyen withdraws lawsuit against Seagal
On July 14, 2010, three months after filing her suit, Kayden Nguyen withdrew her claim against Steven Seagal without explanation.
August 30, 2011: Jesus Sanchez Llovera files lawsuit against Seagal
On August 30, 2011, Jesus Sanchez Llovera filed a lawsuit against Steven Seagal. The lawsuit was related to Seagal's involvement in a Maricopa County police raid, seeking $100,000 for damages and an apology for the death of Llovera's puppy during the raid.
2012: LeBell avoids confirming on-set incident with Seagal in interview
In 2012, Gene LeBell was requested to confirm a previous on-set incident with Steven Seagal in an interview. While he avoided a direct answer, he implied the incident was true by stating that Seagal sometimes "cheese off the wrong people".
January 2013: Llovera's lawsuit against Seagal is dismissed
In January 2013, Jesus Sanchez Llovera's lawsuit against Steven Seagal was dismissed after Llovera failed to file court-ordered paperwork.
July 2014: Dropped from Blues Festival
In July 2014, following calls for a boycott, Steven Seagal was dropped from the lineup of the August Blues Festival in Haapsalu, Estonia, due to his political views.
August 2014: Appears at Night Wolves Show
In August 2014, Steven Seagal appeared at a Night Wolves-organized show in Sevastopol, Crimea, supporting the Crimean annexation.
2014: Support for Russian Annexation of Crimea
In 2014, Steven Seagal publicly supported the Russian annexation of Crimea, aligning himself politically with Vladimir Putin.
2015: Visits Azerbaijan
In 2015, Steven Seagal visited the Republic of Azerbaijan and met with President Ilham Aliyev, expressing support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
2016: Comments on Protests and Russian Interference
In 2016, Steven Seagal spoke out against protests during the United States national anthem and expressed skepticism of alleged Russian interference in the United States elections, and was challenged to an MMA fight by George Foreman.
November 9, 2017: Faviola Dadis accuses Seagal of sexual assault
On November 9, 2017, Dutch model Faviola Dadis posted a statement on her Instagram account, alleging that she had been sexually assaulted by Steven Seagal years earlier.
January 15, 2018: Rachel Grant accuses Seagal of sexual assault
On January 15, 2018, actress Rachel Grant publicly accused Steven Seagal of sexually assaulting her in 2002, during pre-production of his film, Out for a Kill (2003). Grant stated she lost her job on the film after the incident.
February 2018: Los Angeles County District Attorney reviews potential sex-abuse case involving Seagal
In February 2018, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office acknowledged that it was reviewing a potential sex-abuse case involving Steven Seagal.
March 2018: Regina Simons accuses Seagal of rape
In March 2018, Regina Simons publicly claimed that in 1993, when she was 18, Steven Seagal raped her at his home after she arrived for what she thought was a wrap party for the movie On Deadly Ground.
September 2018: Prosecutors refuse to charge Seagal based on Regina Simons' accusations
In September 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors declined to charge Steven Seagal based on Regina Simons' rape accusations, citing California's statute of limitations.
March 2022: Seagal visits Moscow during Russian invasion of Ukraine
In March 2022, Steven Seagal visited Moscow during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He organized his birthday party, which was attended by individuals connected to Vladimir Putin, including some under international sanctions. This action was criticized amidst the growing international boycott of Russia.
2022: Support for Russian Invasion of Ukraine
In 2022, Steven Seagal backed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continuing his support for Vladimir Putin's political actions.
