An acquisition of Chris Noth’s Tequila brand Ambhar, expected to be finalised this week, has fallen through following claims made against the Sex and the City star.
On 16 December, the actor, who is famous for playing ‘Mr. Big’ in NBC show Sex and The City, was accused of rape by two women in separate incidents in 2004 and 2015.
Noth has denied the allegations, with a representative telling PEOPLE magazine that “he has and would never cross that line.”
One woman who wishes to remain anonymous claimed that the actor sexually assaulted her while working at a New York City restaurant in 2010 when she was 18 years old.
“The story is a complete fabrication, and the alleged accounts detailed throughout read like a piece of bad fiction,” a rep for Noth told PEOPLE magazine.
A second accuser has claimed that Noth attacked her and left her needing stitches.
Noth has admitted that the encounters took place, but has said that they were “consensual”.
Before the allegations came to light a sale had been underway for Noth’s Tequila brand Ambhar for a sum of US$12 million. The buyer was Nevada-based beverage company, Entertainment Arts Research.
However, Bernard Rubin, chief executive for the buyer told the New York Post, “We thought it would be in our best interest to withdraw from the transaction. It would have been disastrous for us.”
Rubin is said to have informed Noth that the deal was off, just one day after the allegations were made public.
The sale for Noth’s Tequila brand was initially made in August and was expected to be finalised this week. According to a representative for Noth “no definitive agreement was ever signed.”
Entertainment Arts Research is not the only brand to have distanced itself from the actor in the wake of the allegations. Exercise company Peloton has also pulled an advertisement that featured him. It follows widespread shock (SPOILER) over Noth’s character Big suffering a fatal heart attack after a gruelling session on a Peloton bike in the recently aired Sex and The City sequel And Just Like That.
Noth and his talent agency A3 Artists Agency have also parted ways. And Universal Television and CBS have said Noth will no longer appear in The Equalizer series.
Co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, issued the following joint statement this week:
‘We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth. We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.’
