Production house Night Owl Cinematics announced last night it has dropped Radio DJ and YouTuber Darryl Koshy, aka Dee Kosh, as several of his associates addressed the accusations he solicited sexual favors from minors.
Following headline-grabbing allegations from at least five accusers in recent days about Koshy’s behavior, Night Owl, or NOC, said its review found Koshy had “not made any sexual advances towards any NOC staff” and said the separation came at his request.
“NOC has received a request by Dee Kosh’s management for him to be released from any professional service engagement with us,” it announced. ”We can confirm that he has no outstanding or ongoing projects with NOC at present. All further collaborations with Dee Kosh have been put on hold indefinitely.”
Koshy has maintained he did nothing wrong but has conceded that he used “inappropriate” language with one 15-year-old social media user after their chat session spread online. Attempts to reach Koshy since Monday have been unsuccessful.
NOC had contracted Koshy to produce Food King, a commercial series in partnership with fast food chain Burger King. Koshy was referred to as a “partner” in the videos, but NOC said it he was only a contributing host.
Meanwhile, three of Koshy’s seven talent management agency associates have spoken publicly about the scandal.
Amid a police investigation into allegations their boss solicited sexual favors from minors, all three said he’d never made any sexual advances toward them.
At least one of Koshy’s accusers said he enticed him with career advancement. It was unclear whether any of the colleagues were minors themselves.
‘Shell-shocked,’ ‘Disappointed’: Friends of Dee Kosh speak out on minor sex accusations
Ben Tang, 26, spoke out last night after salacious photos of himself with Koshy, who manages him, surfaced online. Tang said the photos, in which the pair pose suggestively and locks tongues, were part of a staged photoshoot.
“There are pictures circulating online with me and Dee Kosh’s character ‘Xiaotina’ in various stages of staged intimacy. Those pictures are staged, photoshopped and they were not forced upon me. They were part of a fictional narrative in an ongoing plot involving Xiaotina,” he said.
Tang, who’s worked with Koshy since 2015, said he was disappointed with his mentor in light of the accusations which have emerged since this past weekend.
“He had been a great friend, mentor and manager to me and is a huge part of who I am today. Nevertheless, I am disappointed with some of what has been uncovered recently and do not stand by such actions,” he said. “I hope he learns from this as I want him to do better.”
Another talent only known as Keith said he did not support Koshy but feels the available evidence against him is not enough. He also took issue with a teen accuser identified only as Samuel, claiming he had shared a “manipulatively cropped screenshot.”
“Referring to the screenshot of my chat with a trusted friend: If you bother to read the manipulatively cropped screenshot, you would be able to tell I do not support or fault [Dee Kosh] for his deeds. I think his actions should be interpreted by the law instead,” he said.
Hamza Zaidi, who joined Koshy’s talent management team in 2018, said he would support Koshy despite his “lapse of judgement.”
“Many of you were angry and upset with Dee Kosh and so was I. I was disappointed by the lapse of judgement in mixing his personal life,” he wrote.
“In the time I’ve known him, Dee has always been one of my closest friends. I can vouch for everyone when I say he has one of the biggest hearts. None of the boys and I deserve the amount of love he has given us,” he added. “As a friend, I’ll ensure that Dee will improve and change for the better and I’ll be there for him throughout everything.”
Dee Kosh ‘on leave’ after accusations surface he asked minors for sex: Power 98 FM
The four other members of Koshy’s team – Marcus Tan, Putra, Go Shi Song, Yap Xin De – have not publicly commented on the matter or confirmed whether they would remain with his company.
Other stories you should check out:
‘Shell-shocked,’ ‘Disappointed’: Friends of Dee Kosh speak out on minor sex accusations
Dee Kosh offered me $1,000 to go to his home, teen accuser says
Dee Kosh ‘on leave’ after accusations surface he asked minors for sex: Power 98 FM
