He was prompted to release the statement after the now 32-year-old Dylan Farrow, whose adoptive Grandmother was the Irish actress Maureen O'Sullivan, conducted her first in-depth TV interview yesterday about the abuse she claims she suffered at her adopted father's hands.
Dylan Farrow told of her "outrage", "hurt" and anger after "years of being ignored (and) disbelieved" about claims that she was sexually assaulted by Woody Allen
Woody Allen has always denied allegations that he abused his adopted daughter when she was seven-years-old.
Allen was investigated back in 1992 after his ex wife Mia Farrow, probably best known as the star of the classic horror 'Rosemary's Baby', reported him. But no charges were ever brought against him.
In a statement released to CBS News yesterday, Woody Allen stated:“When this claim was first made more than 25 years ago, it was thoroughly investigated by both the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of the Yale-New Haven Hospital and New York State Child Welfare.
“They both did so many months and independently concluded that no molestation had ever taken place.”
But during the TV interview yesterday Dylan was showing a clip of Allen denying the claims and she responded by saying:“He’s lying and he’s been lying for so long, and it is difficult for me to see him and to hear his voice.”
Allen also repeated his claim that he believes Dylan was brainwashed into making the allegations because her adopted mother wanted revenge because he had started a relationship with another one of her adopted children, Soon Yi Previn.
“It seems to have worked – and, sadly, I’m sure Dylan truly believes what she says,”his statement read.
“But even though the Farrow family is cynically using the opportunity afforded by the Time’s Up movement to repeat this discredited allegation, that doesn’t make it any more true today than it was in the past.
"I never molested my daughter – as all investigations concluded a quarter of a century ago.”
Dylan also dismissed his story that she was brainwashed into claiming all this. "What I don’t understand is how is this crazy story of me being brainwashed and coached more believable than what I’m saying about being sexually assaulted by my father.”
Asked why people should believe her claim, she responded: I suppose that’s on them, but all I can do is speak my truth and hope, hope that somebody will believe me instead of just hearing.”
Dylan said that she was inspired to come forward and do the interview because of the Time Up campaign.
“It was very momentous for me to see this conversation finally carried into a public setting,” she said. “Because I have been saying this – I have been repeating my accusations unaltered for over 20 years and I have been systematically shut down, ignored, or discredited.
"If they can’t acknowledge the accusations of one survivor how are they going to stand for all of us?”

Tomorrow you will see the me my family and friends know. The raw and honest reality. No airs, just the truth. I wanted to face you, I wanted you to see me; not as a Farrow, not as a figure, but as a woman telling the truth to honor the little girl that got left behind. /3 end.

— Dylan Farrow (@realdylanfarrow) January 18, 2018

Speaking to CBS This Morning, she said yesterday: "Why shouldn't I feel some sort of outrage... after all these years of being ignored, disbelieved and tossed aside?"

She added: "Why shouldn’t I want to bring him down? Why shouldn’t I be angry? Why shouldn’t I be hurt?
"All I can do is speak my truth and hope - hope that somebody will believe me rather than just hearing."

Only on @CBSThisMorning, Dylan Farrow addresses alleged sexual abuse by her adoptive father, Woody Allen. For 25 years, Farrow has insisted Allen sexually assaulted her when she was a child. In her conversation with @GayleKing, Farrow explains why now is the time to speak out: pic.twitter.com/Sfsz4YK0hu

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 17, 2018