Jared Leto's Bizarre Behavior Leaves Bartender Shocked
Oscar winner Jared Leto followed a young bartender out to her car after she declined his “handsy” advances — before bombarding her with texts and a near-naked selfie, Page Six can reveal.Gracelisa Akers was 25 and working behind the bar at The Orbit Room in Grand Rapids, Michigan, back in April 2011 when Leto’s band, 30 Seconds to Mars, performed.After spotting the attractive brunette, Leto sent over a flunky to say he wanted to meet her, inviting her to a party in his dressing room. Jared Leto sent a near-naked selfie like this one to Gracelisa Akers, after bombarding her with texts. jaredleto/InstagramSuch behavior echoes that of four women who came forward this week to accuse the star of criminal sexual conduct saying he had made advances — and in some cases slept with them — while they were still teenagers and he was in his 30s and 40s. In Gracelisa’s case, her evening with the actor and singer soon became fraught.“I can tell immediately, just from being around the industry, when men are trying to use their status symbol as a power play,” she told Page Six.Gracelisa Akers told Page Six Leto made it clear he wanted to hook up. Gracelisa AkersAkers – at right, sitting on the bar at The Orbit Room, Michigan – was working at the venue in April 2011 when 30 Seconds to Mars performed. Gracelisa AkersLeto, now 54, had first greeted Gracelisa with an elbow bump, claiming to be a germaphobe and refusing to shake hands with others — although she noted his later behavior contradicted this.They swapped numbers and he invited her to his dressing room, which was full of his band members and bar staff.“When I got up there, he immediately beelined for me,” Gracelisa told us. “I could tell that he was looking for a hook up, but that’s not what I was offering.Leto performing with his band at The Orbit Room on April 19, 2011. Rick Z/ YouTubeAkers said Leto sent a flunky over to introduce them – before inviting her up to his dressing room for a ‘party’. Rick Z/ YouTube“He offered me a drink and I said no. That was the first red flag – he seemed to be irritated, but I said ‘I have to drive home’“And he was certainly not a germaphobe, he was grabbing at me, playing with my hair, his hands were around my waist and on my hips and he was trying to hold my hand,” she told us. “But it was very one sided, I thought ‘hey buddy, I’m not into you’. “I thought ‘take no for an answer dude, you’re not getting laid tonight.’ “Akers is seen with her hands up, behind the bar The Orbit Room, as 30 Seconds to Mars played. Gracelisa AkersWhen his camp headed out to Denny’s, she went to leave.“His hands were all over me, and he got more irritated,” she recalled. “He was trying to pull me towards him and he was so close I could smell his breath. I made it clear that I was not into this and I said goodbye and grabbed my stuff.“He followed me out and cornered me as I’m trying to get into my car.Leto won an Oscar for best supporting actor for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ in March 2014. Getty ImagesLeto’s co-star Matthew McConaughey won the best actor Oscar. Getty Images“He said ‘you’re never going to see me again, let’s just f–k Denny’s and go eat on the tour bus’. He told me, ‘We don’t need to do anything’ and had me positioned in a way that I couldn’t move.”Gracelisa is just 5ft tall, while Leto stands around 5ft 9ins, although she made it clear that he was not violent.“I said ‘no I am leaving, I feel uncomfortable’, I got in my car and went home.Leto played Rayon in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’. He lost around 30 pounds to play the character, a HIV-positive transgender person. ANNE MARIE FOX“Then he bombarded with all these texts, more and more texts, asking me to come back.”By now it was like 3 or 4am. “I even woke up to a text from him about going to breakfast the next morning,” she said.Gracelisa deleted the texts and photos — but still has Leto’s phone number, which we have verified belongs to the actor.Leto went on to play the Joker in “Suicide Squad.” ©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett Collection / Everett CollectionTwo months later, she revealed, “I got another text – it was a selfie in the mirror, he had a towel over his waist, as if he had just showered, and it was just covering his junk.“The caption was just a room number, NYC, the name of a hotel and the message ‘hurry up, I’m waiting’.“I replied, I’m in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you sent this to the wrong Grace.’The actor – seen at the London premiere of “Suicide Squad” in August 2016 – made headlines when he revealed he had sent used condoms and sex toys to his co-stars, including Margot Robbie. David M. Benett“I hope whoever she is, she did not show up, but he was really persistent, it’s just an ick.”Gracelisa, now 41, and a mom-of-two and the owner of her own salon in Michigan, added, “I know he didn’t physically hurt me, but I think the unwillingness to take no for an answer shows a pattern of aggressive behavior and entitlement when he didn’t get his way.”Gracelisa’s claim comes as Page Six can reveal Leto has hired bulldog attorney Alex Spiro, with a top legal source saying, “You don’t hire Alex Spiro unless you think have got some exposure.Vain Leto posted this selfie of himself from Thailand in 2024. jaredleto/Instagram“I know that many women have made claims against Leto,” the source added. “There is no doubt in my mind he has settled with some of them,” so they wouldn’t talk about him.”We have reached out to Sprio for comment, as well as a rep for Leto.In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone Leto said he preferred to be single. “I was never very proficient with the ladies when I was younger, but I started making up for lost time,” he said.Leto went on to win an Oscar for his role as a transgender person in “Dallas Buyers Club” in 2014 and still performs with his band.Cameron Diaz was one of Leto’s high-profile girlfriends. They dated from 1999 to 2003. GC ImagesBut over the past few years, long percolating rumors about his private life and behavior with young women have come to the surface.One of the women who came forward this week claimed in a BBC documentary she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom by Leto when she was 17. Another said the “Tron” star threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19. A third told how she had under-age sex with the star in California when she was 17, classified as statutory rape in the state. Leto “shrugged off” a conversation about the age of consent being 18 in the US state, she alleged.The fourth woman described being groomed by Leto, saying he abused his celebrity status by making repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16. On at least one occasion, she says he suggested they should have sex.Leto’s last lengthy romance was with Russian model Valery Kaufman. They were together until 2022. LESE / BACKGRIDLeto was spotted with model Thet Thinn in the stands at the French Open in Paris in June 2023. Best Image / BACKGRIDLeto furiously denied the allegations, saying in a statement, “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”30 Seconds to Mars are due to start a 17-date European and UK next April, kicking off in Lisbon. We have reached out to promoters Live Nation to see whether they are investigating the most recent claims on Leto.We have also reached out to the band’s record label, Concord Records, to ask if they are launching an investigation.Leto joked that his fans were in a cult and threw a ‘retreat’ for his 30 Seconds to Mars followers in Croatia in 2019. Thirty Seconds to Mars/XLeto, speaking at his retreat, calls their fans “The Echelon.” Jared Leto/InstagramLeto found fame and became a schoolgirl crush as the brooding Jordan Catalano opposite Claire Danes in ’90s TV show “My So Called Life.”The star is the frontman of 30 Seconds to Mars while his older brother, Shannon, is the drummer. The brothers have thrown bizarre “retreats” for superfans, whom they dub The Echelon, including a weekend trip to Croatia in 2019, which Leto joked about being a “cult.”The boys had a remarkable rise, growing up raised by a single mom, Constance, and were “food stamp poor,” Leto once said.The actor last appeared on screen as Skeleton in “Masters of the Universe.” Amazon MGM“It was the 1970s, the age of the artist and the hippy, and my exposure to that shaped me in a really deep way,” he told Mr. Porter in 2013. “I had no concept of the word ‘fame’. He starred in films including “Morbius,” “Requiem for a Dream,” and “Blade Runner 2049,” finding infamy through his method acting and pranks he played on his fellow actors.Indeed, he admitted to sending used condoms and sex toys to his “Suicide Squad” co-stars, including Margot Robbie and Will Smith.Last year, Leto appeared in Disney’s “Tron: Ares.” ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett CollectionIn 2016, he told E! News that explained that it was all part of his character, The Joker.“I did a lot of things to create a dynamic,” he revealed, “to create an element of surprise, spontaneity.”Leto, who has dated stars including Cameron Diaz and been linked with others including Scarlett Johansson, was most recently in a relationship with Russian model Valery Kaufman up until 2022, and has since been linked with model Thet Thinn.“Alex” is one of the women accusing Jared Leto of sexual misconduct in a new BBC documentary. BBC“Taylor” is another woman who spoke out on the BBC doc. BBC“Isabel” is a third woman who accused Leto of misconduct. BBCHe was last seen playing Skeletor in “Masters of the Universe,” released in theaters on June 5, and before that he appeared in Disney’s ‘Tron: Ares’ last year.“Had I given in against my wishes because of his fame, I could have been in the same shoes as those poor girls [who made claims this week],” said Gracelisa. “And I’m certain there’s many more that he struggled hearing “no” from as well. “Bringing to light this type of behavior and validating victims is something everyone should get behind.”
