The Story of Jack Wright & Sienna Mae

Jack Wright's viral video addressing Sienna Mae Gomez's sexual assault allegations. Source: Mackenzie O'Rourke '24

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

For avid TikTok users, it’s hard to have missed a video or two about the recent sexual assault allegations against body positivity influencer, Sienna Mae Gomez. According to evidence from the past few months, claims arose that Sienna had sexually assaulted TikTok dancer and rumored boyfriend, Jack Wright. 

In May 2021, fellow TikTok star and Wright’s best friend, Mason Rizzo, tweeted that a girl had sexually assaulted his best friend “numerous times” even after they had set relationship boundaries (via @MasonRizzo3 on Twitter). The tweet is now deleted, but not before fans could spot that James Wright, Jack’s twin brother, had retweeted it. This prompted the first speculation that perhaps something questionable had been going on between Wright and Gomez, who was his alleged girlfriend at the time. Gomez “unequivocally denied” the accusations that she had assaulted Jack in a YouTube video that she has now privated. Wright also curated an Instagram post that did not confirm or deny the allegations, stating that he didn’t want to “tear anyone down [while] only wish[ing] healing to everyone involved” (@jack.wright21 on Instagram).

However, only a few days later, a leaked video began to surface across social media platforms where Gomez allegedly gropes Wright while he was unconscious at a party. Gomez then posted what fans felt was an incredibly ingenuine, aggressive video where she denied the allegations a second time. Gomez stated, “I am a victim of continuous attempts to cancel me and slander my name with false claims” (via Sienna Gomez on YouTube). 

Both parties publicly announced that they would be taking these matters offline, but in a YouTube video released on January 20, 2022, titled “what sienna mae did to me,” Wright spoke emotionally about the allegations for the first time. He illustrates multiple instances of Gomez crossing boundaries, confirming the content of the leaked June video. He also outlined times when Gomez had inappropriately touched him without his consent, even straddling him naked on his bed and jumping out of a moving car to reunite with Wright while friends attempted to separate the two. Wright elaborated that things had gotten so extreme to the point that Gomez was breaking into his home. “[Sienna] would break into my house and when I was sound asleep, she'd come to my room and I'd wake up to her hand in my pants,” Wright said. In the video, Wright detailed multiple accounts from various Los Angeles men who confirm that Gomez had engaged in similar behavior with them as well.

A few days after Wright published his video, Gomez released a lengthy blog post addressing the contents of his video. Social media users were quick to dismiss her apology, calling into question some strange statements she made such as “consent isn't really something that is formally taught in school…I understand now not everyone has this comfortability with affection” (via Sienna Mae Gomez on Medium). Fans were not fond of the way she twisted the situation in a way that victimized her. “I thought turning 18 would be amazing and so far it honestly just sucks,” Gomez wrote. 

This story’s heavy media presence throughout the past month shows that matters of assault and consent must be addressed. Considering the ages of the two parties involved in this situation, it highlights how sexual assault can be a terrifying reality for people of all ages. Issues of sexual assault are unfortunately more prevalent than ever, especially on college campuses. College-aged students are at a higher risk for becoming victims of sexual violence. In fact, for men in particular, college-aged males are 78 percent more likely to be a victim of rape or sexual assault than non-students (via rainn.org). It is important that schools and student bodies learn how to address these matters with sensitivity, severity and respect. Giving students the proper resources they need to educate themselves on matters of assault and consent is critical, whether that be through informational sessions around campus or via social media platforms. 

The Wright and Gomez situation also brings to light the “role reversal” of stereotypical sexual assault cases. Approximately 2.78 million men in the nation, as of 1998, have been victims of completed or attempted rape (via rainn.org). In fact, 1 out of 6 men have been sexually assaulted or abused, and they are much less likely to disclose their experiences and seek out help (via 1in6.org). Erasing the notion that only women can be assaulted is one of the first steps in combating the problem. Listening to victims of all kinds as well as holding abusers accountable is critical for justice.