Joss Whedon's ex-wife accuses him of being 'hypocritical feminist'

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Washington: Hollywood director Joss Whedon has found himself in middle of a difficult situation caused by his ex-wife, Kai Cole.

According to E! Online, Cole accused the writer/director of engaging in a string of affairs over the course of their 16-year marriage, while attempting to use his feminist credentials as a way to shield himself from criticism.

In an essay written by her for a website, she claimed that her ex is a "hypocrite preaching feminist ideals."

She began by writing, "I've been asked some questions by the press recently about my divorce from Joss Whedon, to whom I was married for 16 years. There is misinformation out there and I feel the best way to clear up the situation is to tell my truth. I feel compelled to go on the record and clear up some misperceptions. I don't think it is fair to me or other women to remain silent any longer."

Cole also shared as to how they met during a road trip and how everything changed when he took his 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' script to television.

"There were times in our relationship that I was uncomfortable with the attention Joss paid other women. He always had a lot of female friends, but he told me it was because his mother raised him as a feminist, so he just liked women better. He said he admired and respected females, he didn't lust after them. I believed him and trusted him," added Cole.

In the essay, she also claimed that Whedon had his first affair on the sets of ' Buffy' and attempted to justify his actions.

Cole went on to reveal that Whedon wrote her a letter once he decided to end their marriage in 2012 and admitted he had been having many secret affairs for about 15 years.

She said, "After he confessed everything, he told me, 'I let myself love you. I stopped worrying about the contradiction. As a guilty man I knew the only way to hide was to act as though I were righteous. And as a husband, I wanted to be with you like we had been. I lived two lives. When he walked out of our marriage, and was trying to make 'things seem less bewildering' to help me understand how he could have lied to me for so long, he said, 'In many ways I was the HEIGHT of normal, in this culture."

Adding, "We're taught to be providers and companions and at the same time, to conquer and acquire - specifically sexually - and I was pulling off both."

It was only after their marriage had dissolved that the director admitted to the extent he'd been living "two lives", with Cole alleging multiple affairs over the years.

Cole noted, "But I now see how he used his relationship with me as a shield, both during and after our marriage, so no one would question his relationships with other women or scrutinize his writing as anything other than feminist. Now that it is finally public, I want to let women know that he is not who he pretends to be."

A representative for the ' Avengers: Age of Ultron' helmer did release a statement after read the controversial easy.

The statement read, "While this account includes several inaccuracies and misrepresentations which can be harmful to their family, Joss will not be commenting, out of concern for his children and out of respect for his ex-wife."

The couple met in 1991 and separated in 2012. They got divorced in 2016.

They share a son, Arden, 14, and daughter, Squire, 12.