--- title: Two Women Say 'Ren & Stimpy' Creator Preyed on Them as Teens description: Two women have accused Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi of grooming and sexually abusing them when they were teenagers canonical: https://time.com/5221876/sexual-abuse-accusations-john-kricfalusi/ author: Laignee Barron article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-30T08:40:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:04.193Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Two Women Say 'Ren & Stimpy' Creator Preyed on Them as Teens og:description: Both young fans hoped the animator could help their own artistic careers og:url: https://time.com/5221876/sexual-abuse-accusations-john-kricfalusi/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte120dd6582073f3c/69892c6bbc6cfc4f083e583f/gettyimages-74726221.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: 36th Annual Comic Con International - Day One og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Two Women Say 'Ren & Stimpy' Creator Preyed on Them as Teens twitter:description: Both young fans hoped the animator could help their own artistic careers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte120dd6582073f3c/69892c6bbc6cfc4f083e583f/gettyimages-74726221.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Two Women Say _Ren & Stimpy_ Creator John Kricfalusi Sexually Preyed on Them as Teens > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._ by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Mar 30, 2018 8:40 AM UTC  Cartoonist John Kricfalusi is photographed at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA. Cartoonist John Kricfalusi is photographed at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA. Albert L. Ortega—WireImage/Getty Images by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Mar 30, 2018 8:40 AM UTC Two women have accused _Ren & Stimpy_ creator John Kricfalusi of [grooming and sexually preying on](https://www.buzzfeed.com/arianelange/john-kricfalusi-ren-stimpy-underage-sexual-abuse?utm%5Fterm=.uaLz2LBYA#.kv1pgWb1y) them when they were teenagers, BuzzFeed News reports. Both women, Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice, said they were young fans of the ’90s Nickelodeon cartoon, and hoped the animator could help their own artistic careers. In 1994, Byrd was just 13 when she wrote to Kricfalusi, then 39\. His response was effusive by her account; he soon began sending her toys and art supplies. Three years later, he allegedly began sexually abusing her. Byrd said Kricfalusi flew her to his Los Angeles studio, and on the same trip, began touching her sexually. Before her senior year of high school in 1997, Byrd said Kricfalusi again flew her to Los Angeles to be his intern and live-in girlfriend, an open secret reportedly known by their co-workers. In a statement to BuzzFeed, Kricfalusi’s lawyer admitted that “for a brief time, 25 years ago, he had a 16-year-old girlfriend,” describing events of the period as one of emotional and mental illness. Byrd said she left animation to get away from Kricfalusi, who “gave me PTSD, and forced me to change careers.” Then she reconnected with an old AOL friend, Katie Rice. Rice, too, was an aspiring artist who hoped a friendship with Kricfalusi could boost her career. She reportedly started receiving flirtatious letters from the animator when she was 14. “I think this 40-year-old man is hitting on me,” she wrote in her diary, according to BuzzFeed. At 18, Rice said she went to work for Kricfalusi. In work emails, the 49-year-old begged her to be in a relationship, she said, adding that he would wait naked for her in the studio. Rice eventually quit, she said, after he allegedly threatened to rape her and she discovered child pornography on his computer, an accusation his lawyer denied. Both Rice and Byrd said they did not come forward sooner because they feared no one would believe them. “I know what everybody’s gonna say: Why didn’t you just leave? Well, because this asshole told me when I was 13 that I was special, and I don’t have any self-esteem, so I believe it,” Rice said. Nickelodeon, which continues to air _Ren & Stimpy_ reruns, declined to comment for BuzzFeed’s article. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We can't all be ****. We can't all be asking for it. I am here to give you permission to be angry. This reality might not have to be our reality anymore. I felt this crushing sense of powerlessness. This is the time to take my power back. Here's my story. Uber promises. Investigation into sexual harrassment. Fox News cutting its ties with Bill O'Reilley. I felt it was my duty for the women who are silent to be brave. It's okay to stand up for yourself. Taylor Swift appearing in court today. Harvey Weinstein, the New York- People forget a lot that there's a human behind this. Someone who was very hurt and wronged. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter. I never thought things could change for me. [ MUSIC ] Honestly, I was furious. I have had a man grope me in front of multiple collegues and I was tired of wondering if it was something I wore, I was tired of wondering if it was a vibe I was giving off and when I talked to other women they were furious too >> I felt that if I can speak out, may be if I just stand up then someone else would stand up with me >> There wasn't a place For us to report these experiences. But I sure did talk about it a lot over the years. The least I could do was actually tell my own story and validate theirs for them in a way, just as I was hoping someone much bigger than me would help validate my story. And I knew that other women Would continue to apple for jobs there and that made me feel really uncomfortable. I was afraid of the retaliation, I know the power of patriarchy. I know what men can do when their angry. They did everything that they could to prevent me from raising my concerns further. They asked me if there were other girls, maybe that he has done this too and can I go get them. I had to show them that I wasn't lying And it's like they took me for a joke. And if they couldn't stop us from talking, well, they were gonna stop everybody from listening to us. People digging into my Instagram and pulling up sexy photos as if they kind of discredited me. Well, I've seen you in committee. You're really tough. Why didn't you just hit him? Why did you let it go on for so long? I was a smart young woman that had gone to college, that knew how to fight, and I still was manipulated and conned. I felt ashamed that I hadn't spoken out sooner, not having the strength earlier on to make it stop. The feeling of being humiliated as a woman And there's a point you think is it my fault? For so long I went around harboring this ridiculous belief that because I was a non white woman in my 20s, it was expected that I would have to be treated this way. We don't have to just live like this. Few things could change from my daughter I never thought things could change from me. I'm here to give you permission to be angry, people are afraid specially women where conditioned since birth to be polite. To be nice, to be kind, to be liked to not make waves. ****. We can't all be crazy, we can't all be ****, we can't all be asking for it. And I'm telling you that all the people who stand up, all the people who speak out you are teaching people how to treat and you should not be shamed for that. The shame is not ours to hold, the shame is on perpetrator. Me Too can be a conversation starter or it can be the whole conversation. It took away the power from the predator. And placed the power on the victim. And maybe, just maybe we would be able to get a glimpse at the magnitude of this problem. The amount of people sharing the stories with me is so intense. People that were complete strangers reached out to tell very personal stories. It's What they did with this and they did a lot and not only in France in Hong kong japanese. The most months >> I feel like the day that I spoke up and I said you are a sexual harasser I changed >> some of the. Things in the night. [ FOREIGN ]. It's an honor to be the person that hey I spoke up about this. I took on the risk. And I was very humbled and I was very proud. I'm very glad now that the story has been heard. It's a direct response to that arrogance and that show of power and [ UNKNOWN ]. A sense, we won't be silenced. 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