Journalist Opens Up About Alleged Crotch Groping Experience With Courtney Love

Journalist Frank Elaridi was reportedly shocked when he met rock icon, Courtney Love!

The journalist recently claimed he got a taste of the rock star's life when he was groped by the lead on the first encounter. In a recent interview, he detailed his unsettling experience and even called out the double standards in the cancellation movement. 

In a thought-provoking reflection, the author revisited a past encounter with the 58-year-old, who he claimed groped his crotch tightly while they were getting photographed. Elaridi's introspection raises essential questions about the criteria that should determine the "cancellation" of public figures based on their behavior. 

During an episode of his podcast "Quite Frankly," he emphasized that his intention is not to "cancel" Love but to bring attention to a perceived double standard between men and women.

The host revealed that approximately six to ten years ago, when he was about 24 years old, he worked for Nightline and was assigned to interview the songwriter at Coachella. He narrated what happened, saying:

"I'm at her afterparty interviewing her in a side room, and then she's like, come hang out with us. So I do. We take a photo together, and the second photo's done, she grabs my crotch like, really hard."

The award-winning journalist continued, "And I was like caught off guard. So there's a photo 'cause somebody across the room snapped it and sent it to me." As he laughed with his guest, the controversial photo displayed the "Straight to Hell" guest star and Elaridi posing together, with her hand tightly grabbing his crotch, while he had a startled expression.

The TV producer's podcast guest Nahko then asked if he wanted to "cancel" her, to which he responded, "That's what I am saying. It would never cross my mind to go after now, like ten years later. She's a rockstar. In my head, not to justify it or say it's ok, but in my head, that would never cross my mind to do that. Is it because she's a woman and I'm a man?"

The Edward Murrow Award winner emphasized that his intention in sharing the story was not to seek the cancellation or trouble of the "Nobody's Daughter" singer but rather to initiate a dialogue surrounding the existence of double standards between men and women. He explained:

"Courtney was nothing but kind when I interviewed her, and I genuinely think that she was just playing the persona of a rockstar. She probably thought she was going to give this kid a photo to show his friends and talk about years from now."

Elaridi noted that he did not perceive her actions as predatory but pointed out that men in the public eye have faced severe consequences for lesser offenses. He stated, "I hope that we get to a place where we have open and honest conversations and give people a chance to grow and evolve, rather than just accuse and cast them out permanently."

The "Pirates" actor was entangled in a bitter defamation court battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, for over six weeks. Fans will recall that their dispute could be traced back to 2018 when the "Aquaman" actress penned an op-ed in the Washington Post, alleging to be a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence without explicitly naming Deep as the perpetrator. 

Nonetheless, it was widely inferred that she was referring to her former husband. Throughout the legal ordeal, The Blast reported that several figures from the 59-year-old's circle supported him. 

One such person, Love, made recent headlines when she praised her friend's heroic act in 1995. She expressed gratitude in a now-deleted Instagram video, recounting, "I don't really wanna make judgments publicly. I want to tell you that Johnny gave me CPR in 1995 when I overdosed outside The Viper Room."  

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star had previously owned the venue, and it is essential to note that during the "Celebrity Skin" singer's incident, she was grappling with the heartbreaking loss of her husband and Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain.