Though he has remained silent for 30 years about surviving the infamous Chippendales murder plot, Read Scot is ready to tell his side of the story.
Courtesy Read Scott
Scot will tell his story for the first time on-screen in the discovery+ docuseriesCurse of the Chippendales, which is currently streaming.
He says hearing the news from law enforcement was like being “pushed face-first into a wall.”
“I got this cold chill as a detective told me, ‘You can run and hide or you can stay and we catch [the killer] before he gets to you.’ It’s like something you hear in a movie. It didn’t seem like real life,” Scot says.
In the early 1980s, Scot had his first audition for Chippendales — a well-established, multi-million empire showcasing shirtless men wearing tight black pants, bow ties and wrist cuffs who danced out of their outfits for effusive fans.
Steve Schapiro/Corbis/Getty
As he continued to move up in the company, he began working directly with Banerjee and De Noia, who “used to go toe to toe and just scream and curse at each other,” he says.
Toward the end of the 1980s, De Noia and Banerjee eventually dissolved their partnership, and De Noia walked away with the rights to the Chippendales name for touring engagements.
Nick De Noia and Candace Mayeron.Courtesy Candace Mayeron
On April 7, 1987, De Noia was found in his Manhattan office fatally shot in the face — and, according to former creative director Eric Gilbert, “Banerjee was the first person to come to mind” when it came to who might have been behind the killing.
Scot continued to work with Banerjee, but he took a bigger role in a rival all-male burlesque show called Adonis in 1991. One month later, Banerjee put hits out both Scot and White, who was then a producer for Adonis.
After learning about the plot, Scot remained quiet and kept up appearances, so that authorities could piece together the sinister scheme. All the while, he lived in constant fear.
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“For years, I looked over my shoulder, I slept with the lights on,” says Scot.
Now, Scot and his wife of 21 years, Carol, run Great Scot Entertainment, an event production company he launched in 2018. He has no plans to take the stage again.
Curse of the Chippendalesis now streaming on discovery+.
source: people.com
