Craig McLachlan has withdrawn from the national tour of Cluedo less than a week after his casting was confirmed, saying a social media campaign and industry backlash had begun to target other cast members and his family.
In a video posted to his Instagram on Tuesday, the 60-year-old actor and singer said he had decided to step away to prevent further harassment of colleagues. "Those two actors mentioned alongside me have been and continue to be harassed and bullied by their peers ... I cannot and will not let my involvement in a show result in good people being targeted by trolls and bullies. I have therefore made the decision to withdraw from the production," he said.
McLachlan said the online abuse extended to his partner, Vanessa, and their friends and family. He also revealed that his mother died one day before he released the statement, saying he had spent the past eight years caring for her. "Shortly after composing my statement that I wanted to share with you yesterday, my dear mum passed," he said.
Cluedo, a stage adaptation of the board game, would have marked McLachlan's return to live theatre following a lengthy public controversy that effectively sidelined him from major stage work. In 2018 he left a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show after three former female co-stars accused him of inappropriate behaviour alleged to have occurred during an earlier run. Victoria Police charged him with 13 offences of assault and indecent assault, and the actor was acquitted on all counts after a four-week trial in December 2020.
McLachlan has publicly denied the allegations and has described the period as having left him with crippling anxiety and reluctance about returning to the limelight. Industry reaction to his casting for Cluedo reportedly included criticism and concern over the impact on other performers; McLachlan said the harassment of fellow cast members was a decisive factor in his withdrawal.
The announcement closes a brief and contentious chapter in what had been billed as a national tour. Details about casting replacements, whether the production will proceed without him, and any statements from the show's producers were not included in McLachlan's video message.
McLachlan's career, which includes television roles and musical theatre, had been the subject of intense public scrutiny since the 2018 allegations. His withdrawal from Cluedo underscores the challenges faced by productions that re-engage performers with high-profile, unresolved reputational controversies, and highlights the role social media campaigns can play in shaping casting outcomes.
McLachlan said he had delayed making his decision public partly because of his mother's death, and that protecting other performers and their wellbeing guided his choice to step away. He did not set out any immediate plans for future work in his statement.