Bikram Choudhury is finally speaking out in response to the six sexual assault and rape claims made against him. In a CNN exclusive interview that aired today, Choudhury denies assaulting any of the women. “I never assaulted,” he said, adding, “I feel sorry for them.” He says that the lawyers are the ones egging on the former students and alleged assault victims.
He goes on to explain that he has so many women who want to have sex with him that he would never have to assault anyone for it. “Women love me, ” he said. “If I really wanted to involve the women, I don’t have to assault.”
Choudhury is moved to tears when he’s asked about how his wife is responding to the allegations, saying that he she will not look at him and he is “dying every day.” He continues, “I work harder than any human being on this earth and this is my reward? I’m a rapist? Shame on your Western culture. It’s your job to go and tell the world the truth,” he says to CNN’s reporter.
Sarah Baughn is also interviewed. Baughn was first to speak out publicly against Choudhury when she sued him for sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination in 2013. In the CNN interview, Baughn shares her account of being sexually assaulted and threatened, a story we’ve grown familiar with hearing, now after five more women have filed lawsuits and sexual assault claims over the past two years. Baughn initially reported an incident that occurred during her training to a Bikram staff member who at the time told her, “He may not be avery good man, but he’s a very good teacher.”
Currently, Choudhury will face charges from at least one of the cases which is set to go to trial.
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Earlier…
I learned that his wife will not look at him. When asked if she believes him, he avoids answering directly, but the answer can be inferred.
Really, none of this he-says-she-says in the media matters. Let the courts decide.
Tell that to his wife. Also, it matters insofar as studios and students jumping ship. Bad publicity tends to have that effect.
“I work harder than any human being on this earth”, huge ego right there
Dear Bikram, please read the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. You may find them very different from what you are practicing.
He said “I never assaulted”, “I’m dying every day” and “Shame on your western culture”, etc., but he did not deny having sex with his students and did not deny threatening retaliation.
Sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/bikram-yoga-headquarters-the-request-for-bikram-to-step-down-in-respect-of-ethics-and-the-bishnu-ghosh-lineage, where it’s reported that even his own niece has given up her Bikram studio.
Watch his eyes… they are lying.
What a phoney SOB…”women just want to sleep with me ” …..he is so Brad Pit looking …”I work harder than anyone in the world “I am a psychotherapist that as work with thousands of clients …its clear by his body language that he lies …and it is as clear to me that Sarah Baughn..is telling the truth …Such little not good acting when he talk about his wife .The public does not know about Bikram giving spiritual initiations call Kriya yoga …that is suppose to lead to total enlightement ….more bullshit from Bikram ….may he get to trial and pay the price of using his little charm and powers to rape young women
you are psychotherapist and not know that ugly charismatic dudes still get laid? many americans puritan mentality is weird. so sure about how righteous they are.
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You can read his eyes!
A sex scandal with numerous women at 69 ??? Wow!!! How few 69 year old men can claim that??? Please, please, please, gentlemen, keep doing your yoga!!! Every honest woman watching these events unfold, knows the truth of this situation in her heart. And as my hysterically funny gay friend sizzlingly pointed out –
It’s so difficult to RAPE the willing!!!
As Amy Lawler, victim #whatever, (allegedly) claimed, ‘he raped me at the 2010 teacher training in San Diego and it continued for three years’. Her ‘raping’ lasted longer than most of my American girlfriend’s relationships!
And Sarah Baughn is now softening her alleged story of, ‘my daughter looked up at me and said I want to be a yoga instructor just like you mommy, and I told her Nooooo! You’ll get raped!!’ Notice she’s no longer using the ‘R’ word in this latest CNN appearance.
Did he abuse his power? Probably.
Did he RAPE these girls? I doubt it.
Is he being criminally charged for rape? No.
As an Asian attorney, who enjoys her anonymity, especially in blog sites, I see both women and men abuse their powers every day. It’s ironic Jill Lawler brought up San Diego, California, where over 20 years ago the judges had to tighten things up, because they had a run on ‘rape’ cases towards prominent male restaurant owners, by female hostesses, bartenders and waitresses. The bottom line was, it simply became too easy to sue your boss after an affair went badly. Judges got smarter, stopped handing out big judgements, and whallah, ‘legitimate’ cases of rape quickly evaporated.
But ladies we have to be honest with ourselves. While it’s luridly amusing to watch powerful yoga covens roast and serve Bikram’s megaton balls for everything they can get. Will you like the world you’re creating by having your strongest male yogi’s, neutered, muzzled, and broken, simply because they had sex with, or were jilted by, their starry eyed students? Or worse, after our men become politically correct, uninspiring, metrosexual worms, because the powerful women around them chopped off everything masculine and protruding.
John Friend was just an appetizer. Bikram’s a main course. It was sad to see those closest to a rare American star like John Friend, betray him and flee like a bunch of fair weathered hypocrites, simply because of his sexual appetites, that were both, legal and consensual.
I personally enjoyed the vitality of Bikram’s outrageousness, for the sole reason that it ruffled so many caddy, pretentious, vapid ‘yogic’ feathers. And on that note, I now realize i’m grateful for what both Bikram and John Friend gave to the world, and have yet to see any yoginis come even close to their achievements, with sex scandals, power abuses, et al.
I’m not afraid to stand alone, especially when I constantly hear my American friends complain – why are there so few good strong men in the world? In too many cases, I believe, like this one, it’s because you’re in the habit of betraying them.
Bikram is right, there’s a big difference between East and West. Rarely do you see students betray teachers for profit in the East, even if the teacher is wrong. Because then you sever all connection and are left with too much chaos. Chaotic individuals destroying everything for their own profit, like insects.
– Fuku
Great post. I’m close to the action, and hate to see him go down this way. All these rape lawsuits are 100% nonsense. I know the “victims” and rape didn’t happen. What I do see is women throwing themselves at him. Shamelessly giving him massages with almost nothing on while walking past his wife.
Bikram is the kindest man I have ever met, and it all depends upon what you want. I have seen him give people help when they didn’t have anyone to turn to without expecting anything in return. A common theme seems to be that he helps people, and when it’s time for them to move on they become resentful instead of grateful.
Fuku- I’d love to know your name and where you practice because I want to be sure to never hire you. You assume the women are lying and they are at fault. You BLAME victims.
You may have finished law school but you should not be an attorney.
Yoga Dork, did you know that the bikram “trainings” have just changed their location from Atlantic City to Thailand with only two weeks before it is to commence? and that the bikram main office IS NOT notifying their trainees of the location change and it is possible that the maybe 50 something student trainees could show up in Atlantic City only to find it is not there. And that some are coming from Australia and 2800 plane tickets. Could be a good write up for you!!!!
Fuku – Do you speak up for Bill Cosby too?
And by the way, it’s not “wallah”, it’s “voila” – a French word.