Thora Birch and her husband, film producer Michael Benton Adler, got into a heated argument with a man seeking Birch’s autograph as the pair left the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills following the BAFTA Tea Party on Saturday, January 10.
In a video taken after Benton allegedly tore up the man’s photographs, the two men can be seen getting in each other’s faces as a a visibly angry Birch tells the man “I’ll knock you out.” Benton accuses the man of harassing the couple all weekend, and “Birch is heard saying, ‘What are you, from f**king Israel?’ … The man responds that he’s from Puerto Rico while following them down the street, demanding compensation for the torn-up photos.”
The couple gave a statement—under the cut!
A second video shows that everyone eventually calms down as Birch signs the photographs for the man.
The statement:
“Thora Birch and I wanted to address the incident Saturday. We are deeply regretful for its escalation … As we left an event, my wife, Thora, was accosted by a professional autograph seeker who followed us to our car from a private area. Thora was trying to deescalate the situation. She is Jewish and has close family in Israel and was simply trying to place an accent. Again, we deeply apologize for this being misunderstood.”
ONTD, do you have any celebrity autographs? Which do you value most?
Sources: 1, 2
