The Woody Allen sexual abuse allegations from his estranged adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, have resurfaced after Farrow penned an open letter about it over the weekend.
While Allen has stated through his lawyer that the allegations stem from his ex, Mia Farrow, who he called a “vengeful lover,” he’s still maintaining his innocence after all these years. One person who is backing him up is The View creator and television veteran Barbara Walters.
When talking about the scandal on the ABC show on Monday, Walters talked about Allen’s fathering skills to his two adopted daughters with wife Soon-Yi Previn; Bechet, 14, and Manzie, 13.
"I have rarely seen a father as sensitive, as loving and as caring as Woody is and Soon-Yi to these two girls," she said, Us Weekly reports. "I don't know about Dylan. I can only tell you what I have seen now. That it's a good marriage, and he's a loving, caring father. I think that has to be said."
Allen has been married to Previn, who was Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, for 17 years.
Sherri Shepherd stepped in and questioned Allen’s intentions and brought up his “track record.” She offered, "Barbara, when you say, 'I'm speaking from what I've seen,' there are so many things that go on behind closed doors," adding, "We also know that he was with Soon-Yi when she was very young. Mia [Farrow] had adopted this girl when she was young and Woody was around her . . . He was dating a 17-year-old at one point. You've also got a man who's got a track record. He liked younger women. So it's not that far off."
Jenny McCarthy agreed, saying of Dylan, “She has nothing to gain by coming out and saying this, so it just makes me stop and question.” But Walters believes she’s doing it to try to stop him from getting an Oscar, saying, "Supposedly she is very angry, but she is doing it now because he is up for an award.”
image: ABC