--- description: Angela Lansbury has followed up on her controversial claims about women needing to “sometimes take blame” for sexual harassment title: Angela Lansbury Addresses Sexual Harassment Comment Backlash image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13e0aa7368f04ed6/6988f32c656a3f0f06bd2a39/angela-lansbury.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Angela Lansbury Addresses Backlash to Her Comments About Sexual Harassment by [Derek Lawrence / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Derek Lawrence / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 30, 2017 7:10 PM CUT  Angela Lansbury attends the 2017 Irish Repertory Theatre Gala at Town Hall on June 13, 2017 in New York City. Angela Lansbury attends the 2017 Irish Repertory Theatre Gala at Town Hall on June 13, 2017 in New York City.Daniel Zuchnik—Getty Images by [Derek Lawrence / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Derek Lawrence / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 30, 2017 7:10 PM CUT Angela Lansbury has followed up on her [controversial claims](http://ew.com/news/2017/11/28/angela-lansbury-sexual-harassment/ "undefined") about women needing to “sometimes take blame” for sexual harassment, saying she’s “devastated” by the backlash and interpretation of her comments. “There is no excuse whatsoever for men to harass women in an abusive sexual manner,” she said in a statement released Wednesday evening. “And, I am devastated that anyone should deem me capable of thinking otherwise. Those who have known the quality of my work and the many public statements I have made over the course of my life, must know, that I am a strong supporter of Women’s Rights.” Speaking to the [_Radio Times_](http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2017-11-28/angela-lansbury-women-must-sometimes-take-blame-for-harassment/ "undefined"), the 92-year-old actress opined, “We have to own up to the fact that women, since time immemorial, have gone out of their way to make themselves attractive. And unfortunately it has backfired on us — and this is where we are today.” Lansbury did add, “Although it’s awful to say we can’t make ourselves look as attractive as possible without being knocked down and raped.” She concluded her newly released statement by criticizing the reaction to her remarks in the _Times_, declaring, “Lastly, I would like to add that I am troubled by how quickly and brutishly some have taken my comments out of context and attempted to blame my generation, my age, or my mindset, without having read the entirety of what I said.” _This_ [_article_](http://ew.com/news/2017/11/29/angela-lansbury-responds-backlash-sexual-harassment-comments/ "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://ew.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5043071/angela-lansbury-sexual-harassment-backlash/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5043071/angela-lansbury-sexual-harassment-backlash/"},"headline":"Angela Lansbury Addresses Backlash to Her Comments About Sexual Harassment","datePublished":"2017-11-30T19:10:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:48:58.800Z","description":"She was quoted saying women should “sometimes take blame” for harassment","url":"https://time.com/5043071/angela-lansbury-sexual-harassment-backlash/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13e0aa7368f04ed6/6988f32c656a3f0f06bd2a39/angela-lansbury.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Derek Lawrence / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt13e0aa7368f04ed6/6988f32c656a3f0f06bd2a39/angela-lansbury.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2017 Irish Repertory Theatre Gala","caption":"2017 Irish Repertory Theatre Gala","creditText":"Daniel Zuchnik—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5043071/angela-lansbury-sexual-harassment-backlash/","name":"Angela Lansbury Addresses Backlash to Her Comments About Sexual Harassment"}}]}] ```