That's A Crime
A fascinating true crime podcast dissecting everything from a misdemeanor to a murder. Hosts: Jason Connell, award-winning documentary producer & true crime junkie, & Sal Rodriguez, comedian & toy expert/collector.
That's A Crime
Gary Busey - Sexual Misconduct (2022)
That's A Crime
Episode 42: Gary Busey - Sexual Misconduct (2022)
Jason Connell and Sal Rodriguez break down the true crime story of Gary Busey - Sexual Misconduct in 2022. On August 13, 2022, at least three people reported to police that well-known actor and personality Gary Busey allegedly touched them inappropriately at a Monster-Mania Con event in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Original Episode: S01E42
Recorded: 08-31-22
Studio: Just Curious Media
https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/
Listen:
https://ThatsACrime.buzzsprout.com/
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbw014MVA3wQM8INVVe0Obw/
Follow:
https://www.facebook.com/ThatsACrimePodcast/
https://www.instagram.com/ThatsACrimePodcast/
Hosts:
https://www.instagram.com/MrJasonConnell/
https://www.instagram.com/SalvadorLosAngeles/
#justcuriousmedia #thatsacrime #mrjasonconnell #salvadorlosangeles #truecrime #misdemeanor #murder #mystery #suspense #thriller #horror #criminal #serialkiller #thief #suspect #victim #guilty #jail #prison #garybusey #sexualmisconduct
Whoa, just curious. Welcome to Just curious media. This is that's a crime. I'm Jason Connell.
Sal Rodriguez:And I'm Sal Rodriguez.
Jason Connell:All right sound we are back for another crime.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah. You know what I was going into this one with with a light heart. But afterwards after shifted Yeah, it's kind of like, I'm like kind of a Debbie Downer now. And it's a Debbie Downer.
Jason Connell:Well, today we're breaking down the True Crime Story of Gary Busey sexual misconduct in 2022. Hmm. Yeah, it is. It's a guy that I always liked. And I can't wait to get into this to tell my backstory, the connection to Gary Busey. But this is not something that I wanted to rediscover hear about. At the same time, I can't say I'm incredibly surprised.
Sal Rodriguez:Oh, really? Like to hear why you're, you know, just
Jason Connell:seeing him over the years seeing this different version emerge. If you've seen him followed him, you've kind of probably seen that a little bit. Hence, I didn't know this. No, I shouldn't say I didn't know this. But it's like, yeah, he's a character. That's for sure. But before we jump into this interesting and should be entertaining crime, a word from our sponsor? Yes. Support for that's a crime is brought to you by manscaped, who is the best in men's below the waist grooming, and offers precision engineered tools for your family jewels. Join over 4 million men worldwide who trust manscaped. And with this exclusive offer, you'll get
Sal Rodriguez:20% off and free worldwide shipping with the code. That's a crime@manscaped.com.
Jason Connell:Perfect. Okay, so back to Gary Busey, born in Texas, raised in Texas and Oklahoma and be specific, spent a lot of time in Tulsa. Now He's much older than me. But I knew about him. My parents knew about him because he co created a great little like local TV show. Remember those like public access shows back in the day. I don't even know if this was that. But it was on an evening and it was called the uncanny Film Festival and camp meeting. Bizarre name. My father would go on and on about it because it was like a sketch show before SNL and he co created it with another Toulson this guy was actually born and raised in Tulsa was Gaylord Sartain. Now he went on to be a well known actor in his own right, he was on shows like he Hall if you ever saw that or heard of that. That was a huge hit. He was also in movies like The Outsiders film in Oklahoma, of course, Tulsa be specific. Ernest goes to camp and he was in tons of the earnest movies. He played like a cook. He wasn't earnest that was Jim Varney, but rest in peace. He was in Mississippi Burning and so many other movies. And I've always been a big fan of his but then Gary just kind of pop in a different way. He became a lot more Hollywood. He had the good looks as a youngster, you know, at least interesting looks is a character right in is it kind of a big, bulky guy. And I don't know if you want to jump in here because I want to get on his filmography. But what's your recollection of Gary Busey? Like, I get connected as a kid? I don't know how far back your connection goes.
Sal Rodriguez:Probably just to the Buddy Holly story. Because I think I would never look at Gary Busey and think he could play Buddy Holly, but he did such a fantastic job. I think he got some nominations, I think.
Jason Connell:Yes, he did. And that's funny. You bring that up, because that was one of the big movies. That was his breakout movie and it happened early. So he was in A Star is Born which is a really big movie, but he's not the star. And then the Buddy Holly story. 1978 Oscar nominated for Best Actor. So coming out of really nowhere obscurity, getting that type of accolades. He went on to be in movies like big Wednesday fooling around DC cab. I know you probably have some cabs around there somewhere some toys. Silver Bullet a great Stephen King movie. Always fun to watch on Halloween. Lethal Weapon one of my faves predator too. I know you appreciate the sequel,
Sal Rodriguez:I got hundreds of action. Exactly Point
Jason Connell:Break, a great film, the player love it under siege, the firm I watch it all the time, entourage, the TV series and the movie playing himself in both. And then it starts to kind of go Sharknado for the fourth awakes, and the last Sharknado it's about time. So it's quite a filmography and it covers a gamut here you know from dramatic actor to comedic actor to kind of a bad guy and under siege or point break. He's actually just a cop but Lethal Weapon. He's the bad guy. And then he's in these farcical movies like Sharknado those?
Sal Rodriguez:Well, I'm embarrassed to admit Jason I did enjoy a few of the sharks.
Jason Connell:I tried to enjoy them but you know what
Sal Rodriguez:I did is we watch them at the beach all night. Yeah, you know, there's a novelty factor makes them makes Neither,
Jason Connell:that's true. Well, it's funny because I actually stumbled on the shooting of Sharknado for the fourth awakes, oh, which Gary Busey was in. Now he wasn't on set that day Nico and I were walking in Altadena, on a hike came across a big production went over. One of the trucks is open big shark head. I was like, wow, I go, What is this? Oh, it Sharknado fourth. Of course, it is nice. That was one of another connection to Gary Busey. But the other one was that I actually met him in Tulsa in the early 2000s. Before I moved to Los Angeles, I was at an event, Tulsa convention center. There it was emceeing came over to our table. I was just my mother met him very briefly. And Sal, you would have thought he was coked up out of his mind.
Sal Rodriguez:I was always just you if it was if he was appropriate. He was just like
Jason Connell:all over the place. I thought, wow. That's what coked up looks like. Right? I don't know if he was I shouldn't say that. He definitely was but it was something that right.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, some people have, you know, people have a radar for things. I think I have a radar for when somebody is on drugs and it could be pharmaceuticals as well. I'm not just pointing fingers at exactly could have been until like this person is on something. Yeah, he was peppy. He was all
Jason Connell:over the place. And of course, this is 2000. So a lot of those great movies are behind them. But the shark NATO's are ahead of any entourage. And he listened on entourage I read that. The Creator Doug Ellen said that after being on it. Gary Busey has zero recollection of being on entourage, whatever. And he was just being himself as a cameo. But he has no recollection of being on the show. You know
Sal Rodriguez:what? Cinema amnesia? Yeah, big time. Big time. Yeah, so what the if I don't remember movie I watched he doesn't remember movie. He was it. Sal,
Jason Connell:you're in this movie. You're the lead. Anyway. So back to the crime at hand. On August 13 2022. At least three people reported to police that Gary Busey now 78 years old, allegedly touched them inappropriately at a monster mania con event in New Jersey. So are you familiar with this horror film and memorabilia fan convention by chance?
Sal Rodriguez:Not that particular one. There's a lot of cons. In addition to Comic Con, we all know Comic Con. They do deal with comic books. And that has to do with a lot of TV and movie franchises. But there are lots of cons. Yeah, short for convention all over the place all year long. And then the horror ones the big one.
Jason Connell:And I guess Busey has a place here because of his connection to silver bullet and the Sharknado movies. I mean, that would bring you into the fold. But police said the actor initially denied groping anyone before asking detectives to apologize to the victims, then asking detectives to talk to victims out of pursuing complaints, as well as claiming that sometimes it's possible to accidentally touch someone and a specific body part. So this is all over the place and actions of a guilty person.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, I'd like to know who his lawyer is. I'm sure any more would just say Just shut up. Yeah.
Jason Connell:What do you say? What's going quiet,
Sal Rodriguez:Gary? You know what I unfortunately, some of my comedian friends. I have a lot of comedian friends in Los Angeles. And they're throwing around the name Gary Busey, which I think is hilarious and sad.
Jason Connell:Want to laugh and I don't want to laugh at the same time. It's a very fitting title. Now, let's hope that this gets resolved or we get to the bottom of it. But it doesn't look good. If this is what you're talking to the police about. I did nothing. Hey, you think you can talk to them? For me? Hey, sometimes you just touch things. It's like, This is who I met. 20 years ago. It was like, Oh my gosh, sometimes those people make great actors. Right. But they may not make the most stable people.
Sal Rodriguez:You know what, there's so much to be said for who you fall in love with on the screen, or on the stage. You fall in love with them first. And they're very different off the stage off the screen. They're different people you love the one on the stage of the screen. You may not love the one off the stage with the screen
Jason Connell:and what do they say don't meet your heroes. Yeah, there's a lot to be said for that. I think Gary Busey was a hero of mine, but gone, please.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, he was also a local boy. Makes good.
Jason Connell:Okay. We're all proud of him. Yeah, we're all proud of him. Yeah,
Sal Rodriguez:I mean, you know what, you just don't want to see people doing things that are, you know, you start you have that pushing the envelope of morality. Yeah, it's one thing Oh, he's an asshole or whatever, or you have personality problems. But once you start getting into those legalities, those legal gray areas and you people accusing you Oh, forget it bad place to be,
Jason Connell:especially here and now or in a different reality now, thank goodness and it's changing so you can't get away with things that maybe he did or other people did at a different time. People are going to come forth, and cops have no problem going after celebrities. Now. There was a time it's like, hey, just get this guy home. He's a good guy or whatever. But now it's like the ready to bust Yeah.
Sal Rodriguez:You know, I worked in the gym for many years. I work in the gym all through the 90s and was there some inappropriate things? Did anybody ever touch me in a appropriately at the gym. Yeah, but where I come from that's not necessarily something you go to the police about. You don't say go but like yeah, a guy might have grabbed my ass in the gym, for sure. And I was like, Don't ever do that ever again. It wasn't Mr. T wasn't and no it was not it was not it was not Mr. T. Okay, good. But my point is it's like I'm of the school of thought and of the generation maybe it's like if somebody does something like that you can deal with it then in there. You don't necessarily have to involve the police. Yeah, whatever. The slapping the guy what happened? You know, nobody does that anymore. That's true. If a guy grabs somebody's asked he deserves to be slapped. I'm sure nobody can disagree with that.
Jason Connell:That's true. That's a good point. I think my joke needs some clarity, because Sal has met Mr. T at the gym. Many, many, many conversations
Sal Rodriguez:come out of nowhere, you know, he was a perfect gentleman. Mr. TELUS.
Jason Connell:Yeah. And he loves his mother and mine. Yeah, and he loves your mother too. So the affidavit states that Cherry Hill police detectives were called to a DoubleTree Hotel on August 13, where two victims reported being sexually assaulted by the same actor, identified as the defendant, Gary Busey. They reported they were in a photoshoot area during the monster mania event. And we're having their picture taken with Busey, during the photo shoot, Busey placed his face near one of the victims breast and asked her where she got them before attempting to unlatch her bra strap. Her bra straps out that's taking it a little bit further than he should have big time. Looks like it's gone inappropriate to now he's hansy. And he's making his way way too close and personal. The other woman reported that Gary Busey grabbed her buttocks during the same photoshoot. So this behavior is the very definition of sexual misconduct, which I'd love for you to give to us in the audience. Just exactly what is sexual misconduct.
Sal Rodriguez:Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature that exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, sexual harassment and or criminal sexual assault. That covers it. Well, you know what, there's so much to be said for remember a few years ago, we would see those pictures of Keanu Reeves, whenever he would have his arms around a fan. Right? He wasn't even touching them. His hands were floating in the air. Yeah. There's so much to be said for that celebrities. Maybe Maybe everybody should just adopt that.
Jason Connell:Yeah, that's a good point. So yeah, and that's a pretty heavy and loaded definition, but a fairly risk, and I put it out there. But it says it all and this act is absolutely that type of behavior here. No doubt about it. Now, this is just a legend, a story's statements and it's moving forward. We'll get to that in the end where this thing's at because this is all happening this month. Of course, today's 31st So we're coming up on the end of the month. So in addition to the two victims allegations, the following day, a man reported that his daughter had been sexually assaulted by Busey as well. And she told detectives he grabbed her buttocks during a photoshoot. Very similar accusation they had no, you know, probably didn't know the other story happened. So the father comes forward, the daughter has the story. And so it was most crimes are subpattern. And we clearly see one here.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, I would hate to think that this is a minor because we have the word, father and daughter, then it's next level.
Jason Connell:If we don't, we don't know there was no ages.
Sal Rodriguez:I hope it's not a minor. And it also occurred to me, all these people are posing with him. So it's one of those things where you say don't meet your heroes, these people are posing with someone they at least admire and respect. And then he does this which is different than if you were just walking down the street and Gary Busey were to grab you walking down the street. It was different. I used to hear these stories many years ago. I think it was just urban legend, maybe. But I heard it enough times. I think it might be true. This is Jack Nicholson at his peak height, maybe right after the shining, maybe right around that time. Okay, he would walk into like bars or whatever, grab women's butts. And they would turn around and he'd be there like, huh, and they'd be like, oh, like, oh my god, Jack Nicholson just grabbed my butt. You could probably insert any given celebrity there maybe. But I used to hear that story about Jack Nicholson. But the point is, if that were true, you can grab someone's butt. They turn around and they're happy about it. So yeah, it all depends on who's but you grab when you grab it. What era you grab.
Jason Connell:It was the 70s it's very different. Somebody's a different. Well, a law firm representing monster mania said in a statement that it was assisting authorities in their investigation and that immediately after receiving a complaint from an attendee, the celebrity guests was removed from the convention and instructed not to return
Sal Rodriguez:to hang on Jason. I just thought what they're like, Gary Busey grabbed me at Monster mania is like a Hello. He's a monster monster mania.
Jason Connell:Monster. Yeah, this is Monster behavior. Well, they acted swiftly. He's out. But two people, they have each other's stories. They saw each other, they're each other's witnesses. And then here's another girl with the exact same thing occurring, but not a good thing. And and celebrities out. Especially I know he's 78 he's older, but maybe it used to work like your Jack Nicholson story. Maybe this used to work for Busey back in the day, a different era. And he just never learned to dial it in. But it's obviously not a good thing. Now, people are gonna bring charges. And if this is his behavior, and he keeps doing it, it's only gonna get worse.
Sal Rodriguez:No, that's true. This could have been something he's been doing for a long time and gotten away with it's you know, it's one of those things when they say when a shoplifter is caught shoplifting. That wasn't the first day I
Jason Connell:was just 10th time and he got busted. Exactly.
Sal Rodriguez:So I bet you're Yeah, you're right. He probably been doing this for a long time and finally got called out on it. Yeah, yeah, this is not the the era to be doing this
Jason Connell:power is up the creepy. Maybe he was like, Hey, I'm Gary Busey. And it was a little bit in your face. But now he's going way too far. Grabbing bots, taking bras off, you know, like that's, like, In what world does that turn someone off? You know, it's so creepy. And the way he acts, so let's go to how he's responded to this. Besides what he told the police initially, a few days after this happened TMZ of all people caught up with the actor at a Malibu gas station and Busey denied allegations of sexual misconduct. He said he was not appropriate at all. And he has eyewitnesses, whatever that means. Busey went on to say none of that happened. Nothing happened. Nothing. It was all false. So to raise even more suspicion, Busey was later spotted at point dune Park in Malibu, sitting on a bench with his pants down. And he was wearing the exact same shirt it was wearing on the TMZ video, which was a t shirt with a reservoir dog image. But it says Bodie dogs, which was Patrick Swayze character, and point blank, which also had one Gary Busey in it. And that video is online, as is the TMZ video. And it's just like, Wait, so this is just a few days after these allegations come forward. This is the behavior we're seeing. I'm telling you, Sal, something's not right.
Sal Rodriguez:I think it's one of those situations where you have somebody that may have some mental health issues, and people with mental health issues, that's literally a lifelong struggle. And then you add drugs or alcohol to that. And when I say drugs, it's an all encompassing term. I mean, you could be overprescribed, or you could have illegal drugs. Yeah, but you have drugs and alcohol, with mental health problems together, that person will have more problems later on, they will make themselves worse, later on. It's entirely possible that the Gary Busey that we're seeing today could have been prevented, maybe,
Jason Connell:maybe, and I meant to say this earlier, and I was gonna work this in because, again, much like our recent episode, Rosie res, there was talking about maybe she had some mental health thing, she had a surgery that went wrong, but there's nothing else about it. We know nothing. We just know, that was very odd behavior for her to cheat in a race and then never come clean. And believe it at least in her own mind to this day. Meanwhile, she jumped in like a mile or so from the finish of America. Okay, so Gary Busey had a nearly fatal motorcycle accident in 1988. And he says that accident turned his personality up to 11. Much like a spinal tap his words. And I remember that I remember reading that hearing about it, how it was such a bad accident. I don't know if that was the catalyst. But it didn't help. Because when I met him, that was way after that. Yeah, there was something different about the cat, like, wow, he is all over the place. And you know, other things come into play, if it's hard to say drugs or prescription drugs or whatever assist in this and alcohol and you just get someone that's just kind of doing this acting out in this fashion, in a very unhealthy way. I would say, had you heard about the accident before?
Sal Rodriguez:No, wait, no, that motorcycle accident? You know what, I might have heard about it back then. And now you're jogging my memory now. So yeah, I think I remember something about that now. And it Yeah. Now I do believe that it's possible that there could be catastrophic events that change alter people's personality that affects their brain chemicals or something or toward the way their body elicits chemicals, which has to do with emotional stability. I mean, I don't know. But I do believe that that is possible. So what that means, though, unfortunately, somebody like this unless he gets help, I hope he gets help. Unless he gets some sort of help. We will be hearing more of this 510 years down the road, because that type of behavior could only get worse as he ages. And as he degrades, we all degrade that's the nature of Earth. But a guy like this can degrade much worse than URI
Jason Connell:and who knows what his inner circle his crew looks like. Right? Some people have the wrong people hanging around and like enablers. Let's help that this whatever outcome happens leads to will help healing you would hope. Now, as for this case, it's all very new in the last two weeks. Here's the latest information we have. The criminal complaint states Gary Busey is to appear in Camden Superior Court on August 31 2022, which is today, the day we're recording this episode. Busey faces charges including two counts of criminal sexual contact, fourth degree, one count of criminal attempt criminal sexual contact, fourth degree and one count of harassment, disorderly person offense. So I don't know where those fall into how big of a deal this could be for him monetarily or prison time? I don't know. But it doesn't look good.
Sal Rodriguez:It's an interesting time now in Hollywood, because we can see right now how your career may or may not be affected by your behavior that Louis C. K. What's his career right now? Will Smith? Where will his career be? Gary Busey? Where will his career be? So only time will tell? I think we've all seen that the public is forgiving. Especially if somebody comes up with an apology later on, especially if they have a tearful apology. The public will forgive and sort of forget, and then we can all move on. I mean, Louis CK is doing stand up again. I mean, that after what he went through and went to his victims went through.
Jason Connell:Exactly, actually, I went to high school with one of the women that came forward, but then there was a pandemic, and there was some time for some of these guys to kind of lay low. Gary Busey denies this even happened just a few days ago. And then he's acting out in other ways. I don't see it getting better, until there's real help involved. I mean, maybe the court says you've got to do XYZ get on the right track, because otherwise he's going to be in front of more judges, unfortunately. And I hope that's not the case. But it doesn't look good.
Sal Rodriguez:It's also an interesting time because people I guess, are being convicted without official evidence. I mean, you have a merely an accusation. I'm a fan of Forensic Files. Of course, Forensic Files is all about the evidence. It's all about the provable quantifiable, and what is it quantify and qualify? That's the scientific method. But you can prove things when it comes to accusations. You did this, you did that? Well, I don't even know how that plays out in court. If people just say that you did something, there's no evidence that you did. What do you do? You just have to take the hit, I guess?
Jason Connell:Well, yeah, I'd have a hard time thinking that the victims in this case made it up. Yeah. Now you're innocent until proven guilty. It's just too many common threads. In fact, could this lead to more people coming forward? Usually it does. So could it be one of those situations, you know, and we're very talented guy, no doubt, but 78. And these are the new things coming out and your behavior at the park just a few days ago. It's disturbing.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, that was weird. I didn't even know about that part. He's at the park with his pants down. What is he doing video
Jason Connell:is almost like playing up for the camera. Like maybe he knows the cameras there. So he's like, Hey, I'm gonna, like that's where he takes things. He processes things very differently. So I would say Gary Busey needs some help. Get some guidance. Get him through this, because obviously, it could have been worse. And let's learn from this and move forward. Because ideally, he could act on things he could still use his craft, and not in this manner.
Sal Rodriguez:And I just want to say for the benefit of our listeners and viewers that all this talk of Gary Busey, the assailant is not letting him off the hook. Now, if he did something, he has to go to court, he has to pay the penalty. Absolutely. I hope that the victims, the people who were assaulted people who were touched as I have been, I've been inappropriately touched in my life. You know what I mean? I hope that you know, out there, if somebody touched you inappropriately, it's not you. It's not you, it's them, they have a problem. So don't take that upon yourself. Don't let that become a shame cycle for you. If you were assaulted, it's nothing you did wrong. And it's not your fault. So whoever did that needs to pay the penalty and needs to face a judge. And that's just the way it works. So my heart does go out to everybody who was victimized by Gary Busey, and I hope everything turns out in the end, I hope victims are okay. Oh, Gary gets help. I hope stuff like this never happens again.
Jason Connell:I couldn't agree more. You said it perfectly. So. And with that, that covers Gary Busey, sexual misconduct, and 2022. We may or may not do a update. We'll just see this is fresh and the sentencing or whatever it could happen in September or this fall. We will see and let's hope we don't have to do any new episodes on Gary Busey sexual misconduct.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, hopefully, never again. Hopefully, we'll have good news about getting good news. So great roles coming up
Jason Connell:on Let's Talk movies. We'll go there. We'll discuss Gary Busey. So unlock your confidence and always use the right tools for the job with manscaped
Sal Rodriguez:and get 20% off and free shipping with the code. That's a crime@manscaped.com. So thank
Jason Connell:you so much for listening. And please be sure to subscribe to the that's a crime podcast as well as the that's a crime YouTube Live Channel. You can also really help us by giving the show a five star rating on it. Apple podcast
Sal Rodriguez:and for all your listeners and enjoy sharing your thoughts you can leave us a review on Apple podcasts send us a direct message or post a comment on any that's a crime social media platform
Jason Connell:we also highly recommend checking out our other podcast and visiting just curious media.com