Karen Olivo Will Not Return to Broadway in 'Moulin Rouge' in Protest of Scott Rudin

Tony winner Karen Olivo has announced that she will not be returning to the Broadway musical Moulin Rouge when performances resume and it all has to do with Scott Rudin.

The Tony winner is the first Broadway star to take a real stand after allegations were made against the producer.

A bombshell report was released last week and it detailed numerous allegations against Rudin, who is an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony-winning producer. His ex-staffers spoke out with allegations of physical and mental abuse while working with the exec.

While Rudin is not involved in Moulin Rouge, Karen says that she is leaving Broadway until the industry properly responds to the allegations and figures out a way to move forward appropriately.

“I could easily go back to the show and make a lot of money, but I still wouldn’t be able to control what I was putting out into the world,” she said in an Instagram video. “And what I’m seeing in this space right now, with our industry, is that everybody is scared, and nobody is really doing a lot of the stuff that needs to be done. People aren’t speaking out.”

Click inside for more of what Karen Olivo said in the video…

Karen added, “The silence about Scott Rudin — unacceptable. That one’s easy, y’all. That’s a monster. That should be a no-brainer. Those of you that say you’re scared, what are you afraid of? Shouldn’t you be more afraid of not saying something and more people getting hurt?”

“Social justice is actually more important than being the sparkling diamond,” she said. “Building a better industry for my students is more important than me putting money in my pockets.”

Karen won a Tony Award in 2009 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for West Side Story. She’s now nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Moulin Rouge, though there’s still no word on when the 2020 Tony Awards will happen.