‘Buffy’ star Sarah Michelle Gellar slams ‘extremely toxic male set’ early in career

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Sarah Michelle Gellar has revealed that, early in her career, she had it “ingrained” in her head that all sets were “extremely toxic.”

Gellar, 45, discussed being on a set with manipulative and misogynistic behavior at The Wrap’s Power of Women Summit on Wednesday.

“For so long, I was on a set that I think was known for being an extremely toxic male set,” she said. “And so that was ingrained in my head that that was what all sets were like, and that women were pitted against each other — that if women became friends, then we became too powerful, so you had to keep that down.”

Gellar never called out “Buffy” showrunner Joss Whedon by name — but the embattled show creator has a controversial history of allegations of toxicity and abuse.

“Now that I’ve had this opportunity to work with so many more women and men that support women as well, I realized how easy an experience it can be, but … unfortunately, we’re still in that place where all of those departments a lot of times need to be women for us to have a voice,” Gellar continued.

Whedon has faced multiple allegations from several stars across his productions.

In February 2021, Charisma Carpenter, 52, who played Cordelia Chase in “Buffy” and its spinoff “Angels,” took to social media to accuse Whedon of “toxic” and “hostile” behavior.

“Joss Whedon abused his power on numerous occasions while working on the sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel,” Carpenter wrote in her statement.

Gellar also chimed in at the time, saying: “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon … I stand with all survivors of abuse and am proud of them for speaking out.”

Amber Benson, 45, who played Tara on “Buffy,” additionally shared her experience at the time, tweeting: “Buffy was a toxic environment and it starts at the top.”

Michelle Trachtenberg, 37, claimed Whedon engaged in “not appropriate behavior” when she was just a teen on the set of “Buffy.”

Whedon was also accused of “abusive” behavior on the set of the 2017 “Justice League” film.

Ray Fisher, 35, claimed that Whedon’s behavior on set was “gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable.” Jason Momoa, 43, echoed Fisher’s allegations.

In January 2022, Whedon denied the allegations of abuse.