Put On Blast! Joss Whedon's Ex-Wife Says He Had Numerous Affairs

Joss Whedon's ex-wife is putting the director on blast, slamming him for being a hypocrite “preaching feminist ideals.”

In a cutting essay for The Wrap, Kai Cole, who was married to Whedon for 16 years, revealed he cheated on her several times over the course of their marriage.

“He hid multiple affairs and a number of inappropriate emotional ones that he had with his actresses, co-workers, fans and friends, while he stayed married to me,” Cole wrote. “I loved him. And in return, he lied to me. A lot.”

Whedon, 53, is the geek brain behind Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,  and has long been celebrated as a champion of women’s rights and opportunities. He’s currently guiding reshoots on the highly anticipated Justice League movie, and is also scheduled to helm a big-screen Batgirl film for Warner Bros.

But Cole, who finalized their divorce last year, says he is, “not who he pretends to be.”

“He always had a lot of female friends, but he told me it was because his mother raised him as a feminist, so he just liked women better,” she wrote. “He said he admired and respected females, he didn’t lust after them. I believed him and trusted him. On the set of Buffy, Joss decided to have his first secret affair.”

The fallout has been immediate, with the longtime Whedon fansite, Whedonesque announcing Monday that it's “closing down” and will become a read-only site.

Whedon’s agent did not respond to Radar's request for comment, but a spokesperson for the director told The Wrap: “While this account includes inaccuracies and misrepresentations which can be harmful to their family, Joss is not commenting, out of concern for his children and out of respect for his ex-wife.”