Arts & Entertainment

British actor rejected from talent agency because they ‘already have a gay actor’

the email went viral and caught the attention of other actors

Published

9 years ago

March 13, 2018

Mariah Cooper

Joseph Segal (Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)

British actor Joseph Segal’s rejection letter from a talent agency has gone viral for rejecting him because of his sexuality.

“Moreover, we already have a gay actor on our books and also a musician/actor of the same age, so we feel there would be a clash,” the email read.

Segal tweeted the letter captioned, “Today I received this email from an #agent I am hurt and frustrated. Are all #gayactors the same? Do we not get cast? Are there not enough roles for us? If you can take the time to #RETWEEET please do and spread awareness! #LGBT #actor #ActorsLife #TimesUp #casting @EquityUK”

Today I received this email from an #agent I am hurt and frustrated. Are all #gayactors the same? Do we not get cast? Are there not enough roles for us? If you can take the time to #RETWEEET please do and spread awareness! #LGBT #actor #ActorsLife #TimesUp #casting @EquityUK pic.twitter.com/fvMWtEeQkD

— Joseph Segal (@JosephPCSegal) March 10, 2018

Segal’s letter went viral and he received support from out actor Mark Gatiss and “Game of Thrones” star Tom Hopper.

Christ. This is scary. Reprehensible!

— Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) March 10, 2018

Joseph, it is a disgrace that this agent has brought your sexuality in to the equation as a reason not to take you on. I’ve worked with many gay actors and they very often are playing a straight character and vice versa. So your sexuality is irrelevant to your casting eligibility

— Tom Hopper (@Tomhopperhops) March 10, 2018

After the letter went viral, the agency issued an apology.

“We offer our sincerest of apologies to you and anyone else who may have taken offense,” the letter reads. “We feel ashamed about it, so ashamed we feel unable to defend it.When choosing clients we look at all aspects the artist brings to the table and at no point should we have commented on your sexuality.”

I have just received this statement from the agency which they wish me to share: pic.twitter.com/8VPTVZuyyU

— Joseph Segal (@JosephPCSegal) March 10, 2018

Segal also reported that the agency has now shut down.

“Thank you for your support and response. The agency will close after a number of it’s clients leaving. This was an inexperienced agency, who I now know, was not a member of the necessary associations. Donations will be made to @LGBTfdn and @MindCharity. I have no further comment,” Segal tweeted.

Thank you for your support and response. The agency will close after a number of it’s clients leaving. This was an inexperienced agency, who I now know, was not a member of the necessary associations. Donations will be made to @LGBTfdn and @MindCharity. I have no further comment

— Joseph Segal (@JosephPCSegal) March 12, 2018

Online Culture

Clavicular charged in alleged rape of teenage influencer

Online personality’s real name is Braden Peters

Published

19 hours ago

September 23, 2026

Joe Reberkenny

Braden Peters a.k.a. "Clavicular" (Screen capture via NBC News/YouTube)

Online personality Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, has been accused of rape.

According to NBC, Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza, an 18-year-old influencer known online as Alorah or Alorah Ziva, accused Peters of sexual assault, and the case is making its way through the court system.

The alleged incident occurred on May 23, 2025, when Mendoza was 17.

According to a criminal complaint from the Chatham (Mass.) Police Department, Peters called her an Uber to his family’s home. Once there, he allegedly got her drunk on vodka while they livestreamed on Twitch and then raped her. His mother and grandmother were allegedly in the house.

The documents allege Clavicular committed rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and procuring and providing liquor to a person under 21.

According to court documents acquired by NPR, Mendoza began communicating with Peters on Instagram, where he paid her to appear on his livestreams to help her “make her name known on social media.”

According to those documents, Peters arranged for the minor to come to Cape Cod home to participate in a videostream for his 437,000 followers on Kick, 1.2 million followers on TikTok, and more than 1 million followers on Instagram.

At his home, Peters allegedly instructed Mendoza to say she was 18 on his videostream and to claim the alcohol on camera was water instead of vodka. Mendoza said she felt peer-pressured to drink the spirit and that she became noticeably intoxicated after a couple of drinks.

The allegations go on to state that after stopping the stream, Peters and Mendoza kissed on a couch and then had sex in his bed without her consent. Mendoza said she did not receive a sexual assault forensic exam after the incident. NPR does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.

The charges come months after Mendoza sued Peters in Miami, accusing him of sexual battery in connection with the events of May 2025. The civil lawsuit also separately alleges that he injected her face with a non-FDA-approved fat-dissolving substance during a November livestream in Florida.

Peters is known for his “looksmaxxing” concept of vanity, which is at the core of his online presence. The “looksmaxxing” culture he has helped cultivate combines elements of incel culture and heterosexuality, with the stated goal of attracting the opposite sex. He has gone as far as to say he has undergone “bonesmashing,” or hitting his own face with a hammer; taken anabolic steroids to more rapidly grow muscle; and used crystal meth as an appetite suppressant.

At the same time, looksmaxxing has been described as having elements of homoeroticism, with “looksmaxxers” appearing more concerned with impressing other men than women. Peters has multiple times pointed to openly gay actor Matt Bomer as the gold standard for male facial aesthetics.

Peters’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 14.