# Adam Savage of Mythbusters Accused of Rape and Incest **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846 "2020-06-30T20:51:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/61 "2020-07-02T15:40:37Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Now we have to wait for more evidence to come out. > [@madsircool](#): > > Or did the multiple rapes damage her permanently? When does this waiting start? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/62 "2020-07-02T15:42:15Z")
Are you incapable of understanding the difference between possibility and absolute? Lets just ignore the victims accusations and assume she is a deluded liar. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/63 "2020-07-02T15:44:09Z")
Or it could have been ordinary childhood curiosity on both parts and she’s blowing it waaaay out of proportion. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/64 "2020-07-02T15:44:43Z")
That is a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/65 "2020-07-02T15:49:25Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Lets just ignore the victims accusations and assume she is a deluded liar. She claims to have first reported the alleged abuse, presumably to a therapist, in her early twenties and the original statute of limitations gave her until the age of 24 to file suit against Adam. Her first blog post, and only that post, claims Adam admitted to the abuse. That’s not the least bit suspicious to you? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/66 "2020-07-02T15:51:41Z")
Honestly I have no education in nor understanding of the psychology of being a victim of rape or abuse. But I dont dismiss your idea. That is a possibility too. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/67 "2020-07-02T23:26:27Z")
There is also Adam’s assertion that she has accused other family members of “doing this”. So unless rape and incest run in the family, color me skeptical. Assuming other family members confirm they have been accused as well. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/68 "2020-07-03T08:24:27Z")
In my life I have know both people who were raped/sexually abused and it denied and gaslighted by their family, and also very delusional people who very much did imagine and/or lie about horrible crimes (such as accusing someone of assault when the alleged perpetrator was thousands of miles away from the alleged victim). While I suspect the former is much more common than any of us want to be the case, the latter is also possible. I don’t know which situation is the case here, but either way, there is and is going to be some tragic stuff as a result. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/69 "2020-07-03T12:49:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s not uncommon for people to get into mental health professions due to having mental health issues. This is true by my experience as well. I hear so often “I want to help people as I was helped,” or “I want to pay it forward,” but sometimes I think it amounts to “The most important person in my life was my therapist, and I want to be that important to other people.” I have known some excellent and healthy people in the mental health field, and FWIW, most of the really successful ones were, but some of the most effed-up people I’ve known were people who washed out of the field-- or even worse-- people who got MSWs with the intention of being therapists, and ended up being overworked and hostile caseworkers for the state somewhere. There are, of course, dedicated and excellent caseworkers, but there are also angry and frustrated ones who take out their frustrations in ways that are hurtful to clients. And you don’t have a lot of control over what you get. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/70 "2020-07-03T13:26:07Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > article states it happened when he was 9 years old and lasted a few years. So… when he was 9-12? You know what, if he did it, I think it’s his parents who should have any criminal responsibility. Unless some allegation emerges of him abusing a woman when HE was an adult (at least 16? maybe older) I’m just not inclined to hold this against him. > [@madsircool](#): > > Is she having emotional issues because she was repeatedly raped or is she making up allegations because of emotional issues? We don’t know. She deserves at least an opportunity to be heard. Celebrity shouldn’t shield anyone from being held accountable, if guilty. She deserves an opportunity to be heard, but it wouldn’t be in the public eye if he weren’t a celebrity, and I don’t think it does her any good to have it in the public eye. > [@Omniscient](#): > > I think you vastly underestimate the ability for cancel culture and the uglier aspects of #metoo to whip up a shit storm of righteous outrage on little more than a rumor. In this case, there’s a lot more than a rumor. Whether he’s innocent or guilty, his career is basically over. I don’t think so. I bet I’m not the only one who won’t feel bad supporting his future work based on an allegation he did something horrible when he was a child. If a bunch of other women come forward, sure, that will destroy his career. But not this one allegation. > [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t know the facts of what actually happened in this case. But it sounds a lot like something a friend of mine from high school went through. His sister, who also had serious mental health issues, accused him of sexual abuse, which he of course denied. Their parents mostly believed him, but thought it prudent for him to move out into an apartment which they paid for. And even when he wasn’t under the same roof any more, and even when he was off at college hundreds of miles away, his sister claimed that the abuse was still ongoing. > > In that case, the sister wasn’t in it for the money: I think she genuinely believed that it was true. But it simply wasn’t physically possible. There was an allegation of childhood sexual abuse (of a child, by a adult family member) in my family. The mother claims it was physically impossible, because she never left her daughter alone with that man ever. And the allegation was based on a recovered memory. I believe the mom. I’m not certain, and the guy is now dead. And I don’t think the woman is lying, I think she’s mistaken. But I’d give 80%-90% odds it never happened. So… dubious. But it doesn’t even matter. In my family’s case the guy was an adult, and was absolutely guilty of a crime if he did it. In this case the perp was 9? At most 12? If it happened, that’s very sad for her. But I can’t imagine criminal or even civil penalties are appropriate, unless maybe against the parents. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/71 "2020-07-03T13:55:24Z")
Rape by children is rare, not non-existent, but rare enough that the a higher level of proof is needed than just someone’s 40 year old claim. Otherwise, there’s nothing to weigh here, we know a little about Adam Savage as a public personality, but whatever we do know probably will reflect nothing about him as a child. His sister’s story is similar to known false claims of childhood rape by people with mental problems, but it’s not dissimilar to actual cases of sexual abuse within families either. So even though I think it;s unlikely these charges are true I don’t see any way to dismiss them either. And it’s sad that this matter ends badly no matter what happened then or happens now. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/72 "2020-07-03T14:13:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > So… when he was 9-12? You know what, if he did it, I think it’s his parents who should have any criminal responsibility. Unless some allegation emerges of him abusing a woman when HE was an adult (at least 16? maybe older) I’m just not inclined to hold this against him. I’ve never been totally comfortable with the parents having to take the rap for what their kids have done. Be it rape or egging a car or something in between. You hear people say that often (at least on social media). Some kids, for example, are bullying another kid, it gets out of hand and the kid gets injured. People will call for the parents to go to jail because they should have known what their kids were up to or they aren’t doing a good job raising their kids of whatever. I think most of us, raised well or otherwise, did plenty of stuff when we were that age that our parents had no knowledge of and certainly shouldn’t have been held responsible for, at least not to the point where they should be seeing jail time. In any case, for the sake of argument, lets say that Adam was abusing her for a few years. Lets say it was bad, she was traumatized and had the same thing happened when they were both (or at least he was) 18 or over, he may have been looking at jail time. If he kept it quiet and she never told anyone and no one beyond Adam and his sister had any knowledge of it…why should the parent’s be in trouble. If they knew and ignored it, that would be different, but we all know our parents had no idea of everything we got into as kids. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > She deserves an opportunity to be heard, but it wouldn’t be in the public eye if he weren’t a celebrity, and I don’t think it does her any good to have it in the public eye. She 100% deserves to be heard, no question there. However, if Adam wasn’t a celebrity, she’d have nothing to gain. Whether it’s actually happened or she’s making it up, she’s likely hoping to get a settlement out of it. For example, he might (or she might be hoping) offer her a half a million dollars to recant all of this and never speak about it again. Doesn’t seem like it’s going to go that way. I thought I read that he’s planning to sue her for it and it’ll backfire even more if other members of the family do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/73 "2020-07-03T14:17:43Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Ill say it again. I have no idea whether he did it or not but…so far there is no evidence that he did not do it and there is the alleged letter of apology. You say there’s no evidence that he didn’t do it, and then end the sentence with an example of evidence that he didn’t do it. An actual letter of apology, that everyone could see and read, would be evidence against him. An alleged letter, however, which for some reason we can’t see, is evidence of the opposite: There’s some reason why she hasn’t released it, and the simplest explanation for why that might be is that she’s misrepresenting either its existence or its contents, and if she’s misrepresenting the evidence, that calls into doubt her other claims. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/74 "2020-07-03T14:19:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Rape by children is rare, not non-existent, but rare enough that the a higher level of proof is needed than just someone’s 40 year old claim. We should also keep in mind that this might not be rape in the ‘grown up’ sense. That is, she might not be claiming that he was having penetrative/PIV sex with her. Think about things that consensual adults might do leading up to sex, ‘hand stuff’ etc, could certainly be considered rape or sexual abuse, especially when done to a minor. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/75 "2020-07-03T14:24:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > An actual letter of apology, that everyone could see and read, would be evidence against him An actual letter that also, more or less, detailed what happened. A letter saying “Dear [sister], I’m so sorry I forced you to pleasure me orally” is a lot different than “I’m sorry I saw you naked every morning while we changed” or “I sincerely don’t recall any of these events, but I still wholeheartedly apologize for anything I may have done that hurt you in any way”. Also, if there’s any question of the veracity, he may have to confirm that he did, indeed, write it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/76 "2020-07-03T14:26:16Z")
If she’s just hoping for a settlement, going public was a really dumb move. She has no leverage now; she’s already done as much damage to her brother’s reputation as she’ll likely be able to do. It’s a little suspicious to me that Adam Savage and his mom are throwing TWO motives out there for her accusations. Mental instability and a desire for money aren’t mutually exclusive, but it’s odd that they seem to be giving both equal weight in a kitchen sink approach to discredit the accusation. That said, conclusive evidence either way is probably nonexistent. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/77 "2020-07-03T14:40:48Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > If she’s just hoping for a settlement, going public was a really dumb move. She has no leverage now; she’s already done as much damage to her brother’s reputation as she’ll likely be able to do. Maybe this is her using her leverage because she’d been trying to get money out of him for years, we just hadn’t heard about it until now. But, at the moment, for any number of reasons, it’s not a huge headline (at least not where I’m looking), so if the entire thing was just dropped, right now, I think it would blow over quickly. OTOH, if she gets interviews on 20/20 or Dateline or morning talk shows or large news outlets, and starts detailing exactly what happened (or what she wants us to think happened) he’s going to have a much harder time doing anything public facing. Maybe he can keep doing what he’s doing, but Discovery (and probably ILM) will stop returning his calls. But obviously this is just speculating about speculations. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/78 "2020-07-03T14:56:58Z")
I have trouble believing a child that raped his younger sister would mature into a normal adult with no history of sexual assault. That kind of twisted and sick mind doesn’t change that much. IMHO There would be adult victims that would eventually come forward. I’m hoping Kari Byron and the other women that worked on Mythbusters will publicly comment. They could offer a unique perspective about Adam’s personality and behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/79 "2020-07-03T15:01:57Z")
I am hoping the authorities examine what(if any) evidence there is before we start digging up juicy tidbits from the peripherals to feed the morbidly curious. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846/80 "2020-07-03T15:07:04Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I have trouble believing a child that raped his younger sister would mature into a normal adult with no history of sexual assault. > > That kind of twisted and sick mind doesn’t change that much. IMHO There would be adult victims that would eventually come forward. > > I’m hoping Kari Byron and the other women that worked on Mythbusters will publicly comment. They could offer a unique perspective about Adam’s personality and behavior. It depends what he’s alleged to have done. When I was a kid, the boy across the street wanted to “play doctor” and asked to insert his penis in my vagina. He said he’d done it with his cousin and she liked it. I said it was icky, and I didn’t want to do it, and so we didn’t. I doubt he grew up to be a sexual predator. He didn’t force me (and probably couldn’t have – we were both pre-pubescent, and about the same size) he didn’t do anything else to me. But maybe his cousin felt pressure to go along with it and maybe she has changed her mind about the experience and now feel like it hurt her. Who knows? Nine to twelve just feels so DIFFERENT from an adult that it’s easy to believe that he changed when he grew up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adam-savage-of-mythbusters-accused-of-rape-and-incest/913846.md?page=5)