Moses Farrow Defends Father Woody Allen Against Sister's Sexual Abuse Claims
After 28-year-old Dylan Farrow alleged her father sexually abused her as a young girl in a recent open essay, many have come to the filmmaker's defense.
The latest to join Team Woody is his adopted son, Moses Farrow - Dylan's brother.
Moses, now 36 and a family therapist, opened up to People magazine on why he supports his once-estranged father during the current family controversy.
"My mother drummed it into me to hate my father for tearing apart the family and sexually molesting my sister," Moses tells the magazine. "And I hated him for her for years. I see now that this was a vengeful way to pay him back for falling in love with Soon-Yi."
Moses believes his father is innocent.
"Of course Woody did not molest my sister," says Moses, who is now estranged from Farrow and many of his siblings, but is close to Allen and Soon-Yi. "She loved him and looked forward to seeing him when he would visit. She never hid from him until our mother succeeded in creating the atmosphere of fear and hate towards him."
Here's Moses' account of what happened on that now infamous day decades ago:
"The day in question, there were six or seven of us in the house. We were all in public rooms and no one, not my father or sister, was off in any private spaces. My mother was conveniently out shopping. I don't know if my sister really believes she was molested or is trying to please her mother. Pleasing my mother was very powerful motivation because to be on her wrong side was horrible."
He adds that it was not always easy living with his famous mother.
"Our mother has misled the public into believing it was a happy household of both biological and adopted children," says Moses. "From an early age, my mother demanded obedience and I was often hit as a child. She went into unbridled rages if we angered her, which was intimidating at the very least and often horrifying, leaving us not knowing what she would do."
Dylan Farrow, who brought the sexual abuse allegations back in the spotlight over the weekend, responded to People magazine about her older brother Moses' comments.
"This is such a betrayal to me and my whole family," she told the magazine. "My memories are the truth and they are mine and I will live with that for the rest of my life."
"My mother never coached me," Dylan assures. "She never planted false memories in my brain. My memories are mine. I remember them. She was distraught when I told her. When I came forward with my story she was hoping against hope that I had made it up. In one of the most heartbreaking conversations I have ever had, she sat me down and asked me if I was telling the truth. She said that Dad said he didn't do anything. and I said, 'He's lying.' "
Farrow, who declined to respond to Moses's accusations and has stayed rather quiet amid the hoopla this week, Tweeted: "I love my daughter. I will always protect her. A lot of ugliness is going to be aimed at me. But this is not about me, it's about her truth."
Allen, meanwhile, has only spoken through his attorney, who says the 78-year-old filmmaker blames Mia for using Dylan as "a pawn" and is "devastated" by the renewed claims.