Outspoken feminist lawyer Gloria Allred is under fire this week for consorting with the Friars Club. She’s being roasted there tomorrow night. As I wrote earlier, Allred oddly celebrated the Bill Cosby guilty verdict at the Friars, also.
Oddly– because the Friars just settled a major sex harassment lawsuit brought by former receptionist Rehanna Almestica. In today’s NY Post, Almestica says she called Allred’s office for help in 2016 when she needed a lawyer to represent her against the Friars.
And I can tell you, long time Friars and newer members of importance are fleeing the club. The names on the officers list are unrecognizable. These are not the famous comics and actors of the old days. They’re just people willing to pay new, higher fees.
The Friars is now so bereft of celebrities that two things are happening. One, the Allred “roast” is at the East 55th St. Clubhouse. Gone are the days of big celebrity roasts at the Hilton ballroom. Two, the club is shutting down for a month at the end of this week. Members are being told to go to other clubs for various services.
Wait til we see who shows up for the Allred shindig. DeNiro? No. Even Freddie Roman will probably stay away. It’s criminal what’s been done to the Friars Club. Can it be saved? Only if they flush out the people who are running it, and start over. But with all the old timers retired or gone, it seems like a long shot.
Alan King must be turning in his grave, along with Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, and all the other greats.
I wrote the first stories about the chaos at the Friars Club. You can read them here.
