Hachette employees walk out to protest publisher's decision to publish Woody Allen memoir

Employees at Hachette's imprint Little, Brown and Company walked out to protest the company's decision to publish Woody Allen's 'Apropos of Nothing.'

"Cafe Society" Photocall - The 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival
Woody Allen. Photo: Tony Barson/FilmMagic

Hachette Book Group's decision to publish Woody Allen's memoir has continued to spark controversy. On Thursday, more than 75 employees at Hachette imprint Little, Brown, and Company — which published Catch and Kill, by Allen's estranged son Ronan Farrow, last year — walked out of the company's New York offices in protest of the decision. (Allen's book, Apropos of Nothing, was acquired by another Hachette division, Grand Central Publishing.)

Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow has repeatedly accused the Oscar-winning filmmaker of molesting her when she was a child. Allen has denied the allegations and has never been charged with the crime.

The employees' protest came after Ronan Farrow indicated he would cut ties with Hachette, writing on Twitter, "a publisher that would conduct itself in this way is one I can't work with in good conscience." The bestselling Catch and Kill chronicles Farrow's experiences investigating the sexual assault allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

EW has reached out to multiple Little, Brown employees for comment.

"We respect and understand the perspective of our employees who have decided to express their concern over the publication of this book. We will engage our staff in a fuller discussion about this at the earliest opportunity," Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch said in a statement.

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After Hachette's announcement that it would publish Allen's memoir on Monday, Dylan Farrow called the decision "an utter betrayal" of her brother. "This provides yet another example of the profound privilege that power, money and notoriety affords," she wrote on Twitter. "Hachette’s utter complicity in this should be called out for what it is and they should have to answer for it."

Apropos of Nothing, which will reportedly contain "a comprehensive account of [Allen's] life, both personal and professional," and of his "relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life," is set to be released April 7.

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