Cheer is giving Jerry Harris' accusers a platform to share their story.
In the first season of Cheer, viewers fell in love with Jerry, a bright and bubbly Navarro cheerleader who overcame adversity and made it Daytona, Fla. He was seen as the go-to person for a pep talk, cheering up others when they were struggling with getting through their day.
But in September 2020, people's views of Jerry were suddenly altered by the news that he was the subject of an FBI investigation. USA Today reported at the time that the FBI was looking into claims that Jerry solicited sexually explicit photos and sex from minors.
In December 2020, Harris pleaded not guilty to seven sex charges. His attorney previously said in a statement, "We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed, the true facts will be revealed."
Though Charlie and Sam were not named as Harris' accusers then, they now say in the second season of Cheer that they felt it was important to come forward to enact change within the cheer community.
In episode five, titled "Jerry," Charlie shares that a then-19-year-old Jerry messaged him on a private Instagram in December 2018, when he was 13. According to Charlie, Jerry allegedly asked his age and if he would send him explicit images. And though Charlie says he didn't want to send pictures initially, he knew Jerry was on his "dream team" and "didn't want him to not like me," so he sent them anyway.
Charlie explains, "I was willing to do that and was kind of blindsided by his notoriety at that time."
The teen says they continued texting and eventually met at a cheer competition, where Jerry allegedly assaulted Charlie.
Following the alleged assault, Sam claims Jerry began messaging him as well, but the twins felt like they couldn't speak up because it would impact their status in the cheer community. Charlie recalled thinking that if he told his mom, Kristin, she would report it and he would "basically lose all my cheer friends" because they "love Jerry."
However, Kristin found an "unusual" message between Charlie and Jerry, which prompted her to dig deeper into her son's relationship with the Navarro cheerleader.
Though Charlie and Sam were initially hesitant to speak out, Kristin says, "As they had more and more distance from this relationship with Jerry and they were able to see more objectively what had happened to them and how it affected them, they became more and more clear about the fact that they had been victims."
"One morning, I saw that Jerry was being recognized by President Biden and that's when I pretty much lost it," Charlie remembers. "I went up to my mom and was like, 'I want to do something about this.'"
Kristin reported Jerry to the U.S. All Star Federation twice in 2020 but the organization allegedly never followed up. So, she additionally reported Jerry to the FBI in August, before reaching out to USA Today reporters Tricia Nadolny and Marisa Kwiatowski, who say they were investigating misconduct within the cheer community when they connected with Kristin.
The twins say that they lost friendships because they came forward, but neither of them regret speaking out. Charlie says, "I want to be the change in Cheer."
E! News reached out to the USASF and Jerry's attorney for comment and didn't hear back.
To learn more about how the Navarro team reacted to the allegations, click here.