Jennifer Lawrence wants investigation after massive leak of naked celebrity photos
BY ADAM DARBY
THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Jennifer Lawrence is asking for an investigation after a hacker apparently obtained graphic naked cell phone photos of numerous celebrities, including Lawrence and Kate Upton, and leaked them online.
A publicist for Lawrence says the actress has contacted authorities, according to The Associated Press.
Publicist Liz Mahoney calls the posts “a flagrant violation of privacy.” She says Lawrence, the star of “The Hunger Games” movies, has asked authorities to prosecute whoever is posting the photos. Mahoney declined to provide any further details.
The FBI has investigated previous leaks of nude celebrity images, including Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera and footage shot of television sports reporter Erin Andrews in a Tennessee hotel room.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller declined to comment.
The photos reportedly were obtained through iCloud before being published Sunday on a message board called 4chan. The Guardian reported on Monday that the photos could have been obtained through a phishing or email password account hack.
A list of more than 100 alleged victims reportedly has also appeared online. The hacker claims to have more nude photos and sex videos.
That list includes Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande, Kirsten Dunst, Avril Lavigne, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Aubrey Plaza, Winona Ryder, Krysten Ritter, Yvonne Strahovski and Teresa Palmer, according to TMZ and other news outlets.
Other victims reportedly include athletes such as Hope Solo and McKayla Maroney.
The Los Angeles Police Department told HuffPost on Sunday that it had no knowledge of the hacking “at this time.” The FBI said it could not confirm or deny reports of the attack. Apple has not commented.
Horror movie actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was also listed as a victim, confirmed on Twitter the photos of her are real.
“To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves,” Winstead tweeted.
Glee star Becca Tobin also tweeted shortly after the photos’ release: “Merry XXXmas!”
Justice and Ariana Grande said the photos depicting them nude are fakes.
“These so called nudes of me are FAKE people,” Justice tweeted. “Let me nip this in the bud right now. *pun intended.*”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.