Nude Photo Scandal Erupts in Ariel Winter Custody Case: Publicist and Star's Mother Clash Over Salacious Picture Claim

Publicist claims that embattled matriarch approached him with racy snapshots in an attempt to paint her elder child as an unfit guardian

By Alexis L. Loinaz Dec 07, 2012 10:40 PMTags
Ariel Winter, Mom, Chris WorkmanMr Photoman / Splash News

Ariel Winter's mother has been accused of abusing her daughter. But did she also try to cast aspersions on Ariel's sister, who's now been named the Modern Family star's guardian?

That's the latest bombshell lobbed against Chrisoula Workman after a publicist alleged earlier this week that Workman approached him with nude photos of Winter's sister, Shanelle Gray, in an attempt to paint her as an unfit guardian.

E! News obtained a statement from publicist Jonathan Hay in which he claims he received photos from Workman "that clearly showed Shanelle's private parts."

Hay also alleges that Workman initially led him to believe that she had nude pictures of her elder daughter.

"The way she represented the photos to me on the phone, before she actually sent them, was that they were nude photos of her daughter Shanelle. The photos that she sent me clearly showed Shanelle's private parts, which is sad considering this came from her mother. Parents are supposed to protect their children, not intend to cause harm. I am more and more saddened by this situation, especially when I read a statement like this from Chrystal because she isn't taking any accountability for her actions and unethical conduct. My heart breaks for Ariel Winter,"  said Hay.

Workman, however, has vehemently denied that she wanted him to leak photos, allegedly in retaliation after Gray won an extended guardianship over Ariel.

"I never gave Mr. Hay any nude photos of my daughter Shanelle," she told E! News in a statement. "While searching the Internet, I found pictures of my daughter that she posed for at parties that I thought showed that she lacked good judgment, and was not a suitable role model for my 14-year-old daughter."

Workman's attorney has also fired off a cease-and-desist to Hay, asserting that "Ms. Workman never represented to Mr. Hay that nude pictures existed of her daughter Shanelle" and threatening to take legal action if the publicist continued to sound off about Workman's alleged pitch.

Last month, a Los Angeles judge granted Gray an extended guardianship over Winter after child-services investigators reported that they found evidence of emotional abuse by her mother.

Workman, however, has repeatedly denied the allegations, and in a sworn declaration, Winter's brother, Jimmy Workman, backed up their mother, claiming that he never witnessed physical or emotional abuse of any kind at their home.

—Reporting by Melanie Bromley