Craig McLachlan has withdrawn from the upcoming national tour of the stage play Cluedo, announcing his decision in a video posted to Instagram less than a week after his casting was confirmed.
In the statement, the 60‑year‑old actor and singer said a sustained social media campaign had targeted him, two other cast members and his partner, Vanessa, and that the harassment had begun to affect others connected to the production. He said he had decided to step away so that his involvement would not result in "good people being targeted by trolls and bullies." McLachlan said he had delayed making the announcement publicly after the death of his mother one day earlier, whom he had cared for over the previous eight years.
Cluedo would have marked McLachlan's return to the stage following an eight‑year absence from high‑profile theatre work. He left a 2018 Australian production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show amid accusations of inappropriate behaviour from three former female co‑stars. Victoria Police later charged him with 13 historic offences of assault and indecent assault; he was acquitted on all counts after a four‑week trial in December 2020. McLachlan has consistently denied the allegations and has said the legal process caused him crippling anxiety and reluctance to return to the public eye.
McLachlan said in the Instagram video that he had been mindful of the potential impact his casting could have on colleagues and that the harassment had extended beyond the theatre to family and friends. He identified two fellow cast members as having been targeted, and said he could not allow his participation in the production to result in further negative attention for them.
The Cluedo production had been announced earlier this month for a national tour scheduled next year. Organisers confirmed McLachlan's casting at that time; his withdrawal came within days of that announcement. It was not immediately clear whether the producers planned to name a replacement or how the decision would affect the tour timetable.
McLachlan's withdrawal is the latest development in a career that has seen both high-profile success and public controversy. He has worked as a television and stage performer for several decades, and his acquittal in 2020 followed a widely publicised criminal trial. In his statement, he reiterated concerns about the wellbeing of others involved in the production and described his decision as aimed at protecting colleagues and family from further harassment.