Below Deck Sailing Yacht alum Gary King is at the forefront of sexual misconduct allegations that have several layers to them. Gary has been the First Officer to Captain Glenn Shephard on Parsifal III since Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2. His playboy antics, questionable leadership, and pot-stirring behavior have been traits he is most known for.
34-year-old Gary is from South Africa and has 13 years in the yachting industry. Every season he’s been on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Gary has claimed he is looking to settle down and find a partner. However, his conduct and attitude have been far from that projection. Gary has been at the center of many boatmances over the years and caused drama among his fellow crew. Known for being childish and self-serving, Gary has developed a bad reputation that seems to worsen.
Why Was Gary King Accused Of Sexual Misconduct?
Gary has been accused by Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 4 makeup artist Samantha Suarez of sexual misconduct stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred during filming in the summer of 2022. Samantha was tasked with escorting cast members to and from their rooms for production in between interview segments. She also kept the crew isolated before and after the interviews.
Samantha claimed that she brought a boozed-up Gary back to his hotel room following filming for a confessional interview. Gary had been in isolation after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis kept him from joining the crew. Per Rolling Stone, Samantha stated Gary “was behaving erratically” and eventually grabbed her from behind and physically restrained her from leaving before she was able to get away. Samantha stated that production never limited Gary’s alcohol consumption. Samantha worked on previous seasons of Below Deck, including Below Deck season 10, where she accused Bosun Ross McHarg of making inappropriate comments toward her.
Below Deck Is Being Criticized For An Alleged Cover-Up
Below Deck production issued a statement about the incident. They remarked, “Bravo is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew…We require our third-party production companies to have appropriate workplace policies and trainings in place…The concerns Ms. Suarez raised in July 2022 were investigated at that time and action was taken based on the findings.” However, Below Deck is now being criticized for not holding Gary accountable for his actions and allegedly trying to cover his bad behavior up by letting him continue on.
Gary Responded To (And Then Deleted) Comments About The Allegations
On August 24, 2023, per US Weekly, Gary took to Instagram in the comments section of one of his posts to defend himself. When responding to a supporter about the allegations, Gary wrote, “It’s so weird, it’s also so far from the truth. She always wanted a platform and unfortunately I’m the unlucky target.” Gary continued, “I’m not going to let some lying girl get to me… read that article fully, multiple times, and this happened to her on multiple seasons … seems odd.” Gary probably knows his comments were inappropriate since he chose to delete them.
Gary Will Continue to Be in the Below Deck Spotlight
Below Deck production seems unfazed by Gary’s behavior because they will be perpetuating him by having him return for Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5. Furthermore, Gary will be attending BravoCon in 2023. The Below Deck production team stepped in during Below Deck Down Under season 2 and removed the fourth wall when the filming crew stopped Luke Jones after he tried to get in bed naked with a drunken and unconsenting Margot Sisson. However, they seem to be dismissing Gary’s alleged misconduct and history of impropriety.
