MONTREAL — Admitting to harmful “interactions” with women, Simple Plan bassist David Desrosiers announced Thursday he’s leaving the Montreal-based band. The musician is one of several Quebec artists who have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent days.
“Recent public statements have led me to acknowledge that some of the interactions I have had with women have caused them harm,” Desrosiers wrote in an Instagram post.
An anonymous accuser on social media posted on Wednesday that Desrosiers started making inappropriate “jokes” with her when she was a minor, and they had consensual sex after she came of age. She alleged he invited others for group sex without asking her, threatened and demeaned her.
Like folk singer Bernard Adamus and TV host Maripier Morin, who have also been accused of misconduct, Desrosiers pledged to “seek professional help to educate [himself] and act appropriately in the future.”
The bassist had already taken a professional hiatus in 2017 to deal with depression.
The rest of the band also took to Instagram to react to the news Thursday
“We offer our deepest apologies to the women who were hurt by his actions,” they wrote. “We are also sorry for all our fans who are disappointed by this regretful situation.
“We will, as a band, take time to pause, reflect and put in place guidelines to prevent similar situations from happening.”
Quebec music scene shaken
Part of a larger movement against sexual violence and rape culture in various industries, the series of accusations against various musicians, usually publicly via social media, has shaken the Quebec music scene.
On Thursday, the president of the Dare to Care Records, Eli Bissonnette, resigned, admitting he kept working with Adamus despite being aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against the singer.
Earlier that day, singer Coeur de Pirate — the record label’s most successful artist — severed professional ties with Bissonnette, saying she did not want her success to “feed evil, secrets, and abuse of power.”
Singer Yann Perreau was also released by his record label, Bonsound, after misconduct allegations were made against him.
This story originally appeared on HuffPost Québec. Translation by Émilie Clavel. With a file from The Canadian Press.
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