Israeli pop star and talent show judge Eyan Golan has been questioned by police about allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Golan, 42, was questioned at Tel Aviv Police Headquarters on Wednesday, Nov. 20, and his father, manager and other associates have also been questioned. They’re suspected to have formed a ring that arranged for female fans to be scouted out at gigs and brought back to Golan’s hotel room for parties that included drug use and sex.
The allegations have actually been going around Israel for much of the past week, but up until now Golan’s name has been held under a gag order — though many on social media had already deduced the star’s involvement. Another two stars who were supposedly involved still have their names protected by gag orders, but rumors are circulating across Israel as to their identities. While Golan has been released to home arrest, his father remains in custody.
Golan, 42, is one of Israel’s most popular recording artists and performers, with 15 studio albums to his name, and he is the leading figure in the Mizrahi-pop genre. He is also a popular figure on Israeli TV, having had his own singing competition, Eyan Golan Is Calling You, which has had three seasons. Production was halted immediately after the allegations. He is also a judge on the inaugural season of Rising Star, a singing competition that has seen enough success to have the format sold internationally already, including to ABC in the U.S. Golan appeared in Sunday night’s episode, while the gag order was still active, but has since been removed from the judging panel. It’s not clear what that means for the show, which is more than halfway through its season.
Israel’s Channel 2 News has reported that Golan denies knowing the age of the girl in question, but has admitted that the reported incidents did take place, and that he had multiple sexual partners. There’s no word yet on what his wife, former Miss Israel Ilanit Levy, thinks about that — or the two children that he has with her.
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