Craig McLachlan has withdrawn from a planned national tour of the stage play Cluedo less than a week after his casting was confirmed, saying in a video statement that a social media campaign had targeted him, members of the production and his family.
In an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, the 60-year-old actor and singer said the online abuse had ‘‘impacted those involved in the production’’ and singled out two fellow cast members who he said had been ‘‘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," he said, announcing his decision to withdraw from the tour.
McLachlan said the bullying extended beyond the cast to include his partner, Vanessa, and their friends and family. He added that he had tried to delay revealing his withdrawal because his mother had died one day before the announcement. "I have had the rare privilege of caring for my dear mum over these past eight years, caring for her, being her companion," he said.
Cluedo, a stage adaptation of the popular board game, would have marked McLachlan's return to the stage after a highly publicised period of legal and career turmoil. In 2018 he quit his leading role as Frank-N-Furter in an Australian production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show after former female co-stars accused him of inappropriate behaviour. Victoria Police charged McLachlan with 13 offences of assault and indecent assault following their investigation. He was acquitted of all charges after a four-week trial in December 2020; he has consistently denied the allegations.
Industry reaction to the confirmation of McLachlan's casting was swift, with reports of backlash that the actor said contributed to his decision to step away. In his statement he said he had been ‘‘apprehensive about a return to the limelight’’ and described suffering ‘‘crippling anxiety’’ as a result of the earlier legal proceedings and public scrutiny.
The production's announcement of McLachlan's inclusion in the cast had come only days earlier, and organisers had billed the tour as a national event for next year. McLachlan did not name the two fellow cast members he said had been targeted. He said his choice to withdraw was motivated by a desire to protect others from online harassment.
McLachlan's withdrawal closes, at least for now, one path to a proposed comeback. He has remained a polarising figure in the Australian entertainment industry since 2018, and his brief reappearance in casting announcements reignited debate about the conditions under which performers who have faced serious allegations should be reintroduced to mainstream productions.
Representatives for the Cluedo tour and other parties involved in the production did not immediately issue a comment in the material reviewed for this report. McLachlan said he had composed the statement before his mother's death and shared it following her passing. He has not outlined any further plans for a return to performance.
More details may emerge as the production updates its casting and as further statements are issued.