One of the latest celebrities to be accused of sexual assault is “Star Trek” actor George Takei. This is a bit ironic, since Takei is an outspoken social liberal on Twitter and has been one of the loudest anti-Trumpers; he’s particularly gone after the president for the infamous comments made in the leaked “Access Hollywood” tape.

It was that tape that Takei was discussing on a recent episode of Howard Stern’s radio program when Stern asked the actor a direct question.

That question elicited a surprising response.

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“Did you ever grab anybody by the c*** against their will?” Stern asked the openly gay 80-year-old actor after the two discussed the recent Harvey Weinstein allegations and the “Access Hollywood” tape.

“Uhhhh … uh oh!” said Takei after a long and awkward pause.

When Stern then asked Takei if he’d sexually harassed anyone in the past, the actor responded by saying, “Some people that are kind of, um, um, skittish. Or maybe, uh … afraid. And you’re trying to persuade. But, you know…”

“Do we need to call the police? What are you saying, George?” Stern asked him.

Takei then alluded to encounters that might have occurred in his private home: “No, it wasn’t at work. It was either in my home ― they came to my home.” Takei clarified he’d never groped anyone in a professional setting or used a job as leverage against a person.

His comments are still concerning, though, especially since the actor was recently accused of assault in the ’80s by former male model Scott R. Brunton.

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Brunton alleged in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he was 23 when he exchanged numbers with Takei in a bar in 1981. He later visited the actor’s house for drinks — and Brunton alleged he “must have passed out” after getting dizzy.

He then said he woke up to find his pants down and Takei groping him. He said he left immediately.

Takei denied the allegations in a series of tweets, but his response to Brunton’s allegations came before the bit from the Stern interview began catching heat on social media.

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If the allegations against Takei are true — and the Stern interview certainly gave some credence to Brunton’s story — then it’s especially troubling, given that the “Star Trek” actor is so aggressively socially liberal. Takei often uses his social media as a platform to attack conservatives — including the president — on social issues. If these stories are true, then it’s hypocrisy at a very high and disturbing level.

(photo credit, homepage image: George Takei at the Podium by Bill Hrybyk, NASA / photo credit, article image: George Takei, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Gage Skidmore)