UPDATE: Following Crunchyroll’s official address of the situation, Wald says he has not been reached out to by any party. “Still no reply at all from the ol’ ‘Roll. No apology, no commitment to recover items… nothing. So, maybe there’s a “case,” and maybe there’s not. Or maybe I just become the Whistle that Never. Stops. Blowing. Either way, these abuses WILL be brought to light. Stay Tuned.”
When it comes to anime, Crunchyroll is the go-to place for goodies. From streaming to merchandise, the company is all about anime, but now Crunchyroll has found itself in hot water. Over on social media, voice actor David Wald has accused Crunchyroll of mail tampering as he says fan-gifts sent to him through the company were rifled through.
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“Dear friends: if you sent me anything care of Funimation or Crunchyroll in the last 5 years, I apologize, I didn’t get it. I learned yesterday that Crunchyroll opened my private mail, threw away your letters, and passed out any included items to their staff,” Wald wrote.
Now, the anime fandom has locked eyes on Crunchyroll in light of this drama. Wald is not backing down from the allegations, and according to Crunchyroll itself, an investigation is now being conducted for the accusation.
David Wald Accuses Crunchyroll of Mail Tampering
As you can see below, Wald went on to show some of the contents mailed to him at Crunchyroll, but he never received the items. The actor says his private mail was opened without permission, and its contents were either trashed or circulated to company employees as gifts.
“Dear fellow workers at Crunchyroll, below is a photo of the complete contents of one of the packages addressed to me that was opened and distributed to employees. If you ended up in possession of any of it, I would very much like it returned to me,” Wald shared. He went on to tell one fan who sent him a fan package that he is “livid” ab out the ordeal, and he blames management for making the decision.
“I assume that the workers just took stuff they were told was free. The management made the decision.”
Wald went on to levy other comments against Crunchyroll in a series of X (Twitter) posts, reading:
“Me, thinking: “…Jeez, it’s a good thing I didn’t tell them about the gay discrimination. Or the medical discrimination. Or the union busting. Or the continuous culture of fear. Or the hostile workplace environment, or…””
“Friends, I deeply appreciate your support and encouragement in my current circumstances, and I identify with your anger. To the press who have reached out, know that I would love to speak with you, but I have several meetings ahead of me before I can do so.”
Crunchyroll Is Now Investigating Wald’s Claims
Speaking to ANN, Crunchyroll has released a statement about the allegations made by Wald. A spokesperson for the company shared the following:
“Anime fans have a special connection with dub voice talent and that emotional expression is important in fueling more love of anime content. We are currently investigating the matter regarding the allegation of undelivered fan mail to a voice actor. We respect the privacy of all of our voice actors and do not intentionally open mail or packages not intended for Crunchyroll. Any fan mail should be sent directly to talent and their management.”
Currently, Wald says some of his belongings were returned to him after items were “found on the company giveaway table”, and he is hoping to recoup the rest of his losses. As for Crunchyroll, the company is now looking into the situation. Wald has levied some hefty accusations against Crunchyroll, after all, Mail tampering is a crime, and organizations can face major fines for such actions as well as restitution orders.
As for Wald, the actor has plenty of fans, so netizens are hopeful he gets all of his gifts back. The voice actor is known best for voicing Gajeel in Fairy Tail as well as Hannes in Attack on Titan. From Ranking of Kings to Vinland Saga, the voice actor has been working in anime for decades, and Wald has the impressive resume to prove it.
What do you make of this latest Crunchyroll report? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
