Who is Gary King? ‘Below Deck’ alum sued alongside Bravo and NBCUniversal by crew member for alleged s*xual assault 

Below Deck Sailing Yacht star, Gary King is being sued for allegedly s*xually assaulting one of the makeup artists on the show.

According to Variety, Samantha Suarez, alongside her then-boyfriend, camera operator Grey Duddleston, were both let go from their positions when they spoke up about King's alleged behavior. According to Page Six, King allegedly tried to coerce Suarez into getting intimate with him back in July 2022, as they were filming season 4.

Gary King is a television personality most known for his work on Below Deck Sailing Yacht. He first joined the cast during season 2, though in the wake of the s*xual allegations brought forth against him, he was fired during the filming of season 5. However, he remains a central figure in the same season.

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Everything we know about the s*xual assault allegations against Gary King so far:

Variety has reported that Samantha Suarez and her former boyfriend have sued Gary King, Bravo, and NBCUniversal in Los Angeles Superior Court. Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos are stepping in as their legal counsel.

Per the outlet, Suarez claims she “was held hostage in a hotel room” by King on July 3, 2022. At the time, a drunk King allegedly asked Suarez to get into bed with him, moments before he told her that Duddleston had no reason to know what was happening. Per the suit, she fled the room after she did what she was tasked with, i.e. dropping him there safely.

However, Page Six reports that as she tried to leave, Gary King grabbed her by the arms and tried to restrain her. She accused him of forbidding her from leaving by blocking the door with his person. She also claimed to be frightened that he would force himself on her.

Per the outlet, it was only when someone else from the crew called out for her, prompting Gary King to realize that others could hear them, did he let her go. Per the filing, Suarez “immediately” brought notice of the incident to the production company, triggering an investigation.

According to People Magazine, the showrunner, Courtland Cox, then told Suarez that King was sorry for his actions and he would be fired on the spot if he ever did something similar again.

However, two weeks later, the outlet reports, Suarez's former boyfriend, Grey Duddleston, personally became privy to acts of "disturbing, s*xually aggressive behavior" on King's end. He allegedly witnessed King "grope" two female crew members, try to take the swimsuit top off another cast member, and pass lewd comments at an audio technician, among other things, all while he was inebriated.

He then reported the incidents to the higher-ups, only to allegedly be met with accusations involving the "inappropriate use of the walkie-talkie system." Shortly after production was over and the rest of the cast and crew were receiving production calls, per the complaint, Suarez and Duddleston learned that they had been fired and had allegedly been placed on a "do not hire" list.

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People Magazine states that Suarez and Duddleston are seeking restitution in the form of monetary damages, civil penalties, punitive damages, attorneys' and expert fees, and interest.