Morgan Freeman issues apology amid sexual harassment claims

Actor Morgan Freeman has been accused of inappropriate conduct by at least eight women, according to CNN.

In total, 16 people spoke to CNN about Freeman, 80, as part of the investigation into his alleged inappropriate behavior on more than one movie set. At least eight of those women said they were victims of the alleged sexual harassment and eight others claim to have witnessed Freeman's alleged misconduct.

RELATED: Morgan Freeman accused of inappropriate behavior: report

Together, those 16 people described a pattern of behaviors by Freeman while promoting his movies and at his production company, Revelations Entertainment.

Of those 16, seven people described an environment at Revelations Entertainment that included allegations of harassment or inappropriate behavior by Freeman there, with one incident allegedly witnessed by Lori McCreary, Freeman's co-founder in the enterprise, and another in which she was the target of demeaning comments by Freeman in a public setting, CNN reported.

Four people who worked on movie sets with Freeman over the last 10 years said he repeatedly behaved in a manner which made women feel uncomfortable in the workplace.

The months-long investigation allegedly began about a year ago after Freeman's comments to one of the CNN journalists who co-wrote the report.

During a press junket for "Going in Style," CNN reporter Chloe Melas alleged Freeman shook her hand and, without letting go, looked her up and down and said, "you are ripe." She said she was six months pregnant at the time.

It was then that Melas began asking other women if they had experienced similar incidents involving Freeman, including other entertainment reporters who said Freeman had made similar remarks to them as well.

A production assistant who worked with Freeman on the set of "Going in Style," a bank heist comedy starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, alleged Freeman subjected her to unwanted touching and comments about her appearance and figure, as well as her clothing on a "near-daily basis."

In one incident, she said, Freeman "kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear." He never successfully lifted her skirt, she said -- he would touch it and try to lift it, she would move away, and then he'd try again. Eventually, she said, "Alan [Arkin] made a comment telling him to stop. Morgan got freaked out and didn't know what to say."

"He did comment on our bodies... We knew that if he was coming by ... not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were] fitted," she said.

Another woman, who worked as a senior member of the production staff for "Now You See Me" in 2012, told CNN that Freeman sexually harassed her and her assistant, also a woman, with frequent comments about their bodies.

Shortly after CNN reported on the accusations, Freeman issued an apology for making women feel "uneasy."

“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy,” Freeman said in a statement. “I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”

The accusations against Freeman are the latest to surface in light of the #MeToo movement and other sexual harassment allegations against powerful men in entertainment, news media and publishing.

CNN contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group