Brian Wayne Foster, host of theCritical Rolecompanion showTalks Machina, is being sued by seven women, including his ex-fiancée andThe Last of Usvoice actress, Ashley Johnson.Critical Roleis a web series where professional voice actorsplay a game ofDungeons & Dragonslive for viewers. A surprise smash hit, the series has led to several associated licensed works, including the acclaimed animated adaptation,The Legend of Vox Machinaon Amazon Prime Video.Critical Rolehas encompassed three main campaignsand plenty of smaller ones as the show has continued.
The voice actors involved include some notable names in the industry, like Ashley Johnson, who provided Ellie’s voice and mo-cap performance inThe Last of Usfranchise. Along with the voice actors is an ecosystem of entertainers surroundingCritical Role, including the hosts ofTalks Machina, a weekly talk show that goes over what happened previously onCritical Role. Brian Wayne Foster was the main host of the series until August 2021. But in July 2023, Critical Role Productions removed nearly all their content featuring Foster.
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Critical Role’s Ashley Johnson & 6 Women Are Suing Brian Wayne Foster For Abuse
Johnson Claims Foster Has A History Of Emotional And Physical Abuse
In 2023, it was reported that Ahsley Johnson was filing a restraining order against her former partner, Brian Wayne Foster (viaUSA Today). The order was issued afterFoster allegedly tried to extort $150,000 from Johnson. Johnson also cited a history of verbal abuse by Foster as a reason for the restraining order. Johnson wrote in the filing,
“My family members have been the subject of his [Foster’s] outbursts, drug use, threats, and sexual assaults… They are fearful that he is close to the edge, has the ability to murder, and will cause harm not only to me, but to them.”
She also described her ex-fiancé as having, “[a]very unhinged mind from his addictive use of narcotics”. This restraining order was followed up by a civil lawsuit, filed by Johnson against Foster, in October 2023 (viaThe Wrap). This lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, was joined by six other women including Johnson’s sister, Haylie Langseth, and two other employees ofCritical Role, who remain anonymous.
The lawsuit alleges physically and emotionally abusive behaviorexhibited by Foster. It reads that Foster subjected Johnson to,
“…consistent acts of physical intimidation including but not limited to punching through glass, throwing objects and screaming obscenities in [Johnson’s] face…”
It also asserts that when Foster refused to move out of their home, he threatened to release personal information about Johnson unless she paid him $150,000. The lawsuit also alleges that Foster harassed and groped other women, including employees of Critical Role Productions, with a portion of the lawsuit stating,
“Fueled by chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol, defendant Brian Wayne Foster has, for the last decade, demonstrated a disturbing pattern and practice of chilling and depraved behavior towards women. The women unfortunate enough to have crossed his path were subjected to a common thread of physical and sexual violence as well as mental and emotional abuse. Foster has left a trail of victims whose lives he sought to control through various lies, threats, intimidation and manipulation.”
In an August 2023 court filing, Foster alleges that “most of the profanities I am alleged to have yelled at Ashley never happened”. He also claims he has been sober for two-and-a-half years.The plaintiffs are still seeking unspecified damagesand an injunction requiring Foster to stay away from Johnson, Langseth, and their mother.
Brian Wayne Foster & Ashley Johnson’s Relationship Timeline
Foster And Johnson Were Introduced By Johnson’s Co-Star
Brian Wayne Foster and Ashley Johnson first began dating in 2012, beforeCritical RoleorTalks Machinabegan, and were introduced by Johnson’sThe Last of Usco-star and Foster’s former roommate, Troy Baker, viaThe World of Critical Role. Foster and Johnson later got engaged in 2018, viaInstagram, and stayed engaged until early 2023, at which point they separated.
2012
Johnson and Foster begin dating
2018
Johnson and Foster are engaged
2019
Johnson alleges Foster’s behavior got worse
2023
Johnson breaks up with Foster
What’s Happening With The Brian Wayne Foster Case Now
The Case Has Yet To Go To Trial
As of early 2025, the case against Brian Wayne Foster raised by Ashley Johnson and several fellowCritical Rolestars has yet to go to trial.While many of the details are speculative, a post onRedditappears to show court documents confirming that a request had been made for the case to be dismissed. What’s more, a comment under the post from a user who’s done some research into the case seems to support this, with scheduled proceedings on 26-07-2025 and 06-07-2025 were “vacated by court”, and the case is currently filed under “request for dismissal”.
This means the trial may not be going ahead, though until this is fully confirmed it’s inappropriate to speculate either way. However, there were also several outlets that reported the restraining order placed by Ashley Johnson against Brian Wayne Foster was lifted.According toRadar,the domestic violence restraining order against Foster had been dismissed by a Los Angeles Court.Radarreports that the statement from the court reads:
“[Ashley Johnson’s] request for the Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) was brought without merit and the request was frivolous.”
Radaralso claims that Johnson had been ordered to pay Foster a sum of around $40,000 to cover legal fees for the case around the domestic violence restraining order specifically (which is separate from the lawsuit). However, as with the Reddit post, these details have yet to be confirmed by either Ashley Johson or Brian Wayne Foster. The truth of the matter will likely come to lightly when the case finally goes to court. If the comments fromReddituserExpensive-Apricot534are accurate, thenit’s possible that Johnson and those who have accused Brian Wayne Foster may choose to settle the dispute outside of court.If this happens, then it’s likely that the full details will never be made public.
Critical Role
Cast
Livestreamed weekly on Twitch since 2015, Critical Role brings together a group of professional voice actors as they play through a series of elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Originally produced by Geek & Sundry, the series garnered a large and devoted fanbase during the first campaign, allowing the cast to create their own company in 2018. Matthew Mercer heads each campaign as Dungeon Master, with a cast that includes Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, and Marisha Ray.
