The Dark Side of a Hollywood Icon

Jerry Lewis’s patented form of slapstick made him a 20th-century comedic icon. But former co-stars directors say he was a bully who sexually harassed—and in at least one case, sexually assaulted—women with impunity. Jerry Lewis’s patented form of slapstick made him a 20th-century comedic icon. But former co-stars directors say he was a bully who sexually harassed—and in at least one case, sexually assaulted—women with impunity. Jerry Lewis’s patented form of slapstick made him a 20th-century comedic icon. But former co-stars directors say he was a bully who sexually harassed—and in at least one case, sexually assaulted—women with impunity. Jerry Lewis’s patented form of slapstick made him a 20th-century comedic icon. But former co-stars directors say he was a bully who sexually harassed—and in at least one case, sexually assaulted—women with impunity.