Shanna Moakler is revisiting a deeply unsettling chapter from her teenage years—one she says began with the promise of a movie role and ended in shock. The former Miss USA, now 50, claims that when she was just 18, she was flown from New York to Los Angeles for what she believed was a legitimate audition with action star Steven Seagal. Instead, she alleges, the meeting quickly turned into something entirely different.
Speaking on The Wicked Awesome Podcast, Moakler said the encounter took place around 1993, when Seagal was about 41. According to her account, she was invited to his home under the pretense of reading for a part. After she mentioned having back pain, she claims Seagal offered to help with acupuncture and asked her to remove her top and lie down. Moakler described feeling “incredibly uncomfortable” and confused, saying that when she asked about the audition, she was handed what she believes was a fake script. “There was no job,” she said, calling the experience “so disgusting.”
While her allegations have not been tested in court, they echo accusations made by other women over the years. Seagal has faced claims of sexual harassment and misconduct dating back to the early 1990s, including public allegations from actresses such as Portia de Rossi and Jenny McCarthy. Seagal has denied wrongdoing in the past, and his representatives have previously rejected similar claims.
Moakler’s story is part of a broader pattern that has fueled ongoing conversations about power dynamics in Hollywood. For decades, aspiring actresses have described auditions that blurred professional boundaries, raising questions about how influence and access were sometimes exploited behind closed doors. In recent years, cultural shifts have encouraged more women to speak openly about experiences that once might have remained private.
Adding another layer to the controversy is Seagal’s unusual public trajectory. In 2016, he was granted Russian citizenship by decree of President Vladimir Putin and has since aligned himself publicly with Russia. While that political move has little to do with the allegations themselves, it has shaped how the public views his legacy—less as a former Hollywood leading man and more as a polarizing international figure.
At the heart of Moakler’s claim is a young woman who says she felt misled and violated under the guise of opportunity. Seagal continues to deny misconduct, and no court has ruled on these specific allegations. But as more stories resurface, the industry’s past practices remain under scrutiny, forcing uncomfortable questions about accountability, influence, and the cost of silence.
