Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations

Weinstein in 2010.

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women accused Harvey Weinstein, a film producer and co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Company, of sexually harassing, assaulting, or raping them. Many other women in the film industry subsequently reported similar experiences with Weinstein, who denied any non-consensual sex. Shortly after the allegations were published, Weinstein was ousted from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, his wife Georgina Chapman announced she was divorcing him, and leading figures in politics whom he had supported denounced him.

Background

Harvey Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, formed the film production company Miramax and led the company from 1979 to 2005. In March 2005, the Weinsteins founded The Weinstein Company and departed from Miramax that September.

Rumors of Weinstein's "casting couch" practices had been circulating in Hollywood for years, and entertainment figures at times made allusion to them. In 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow said on The David Letterman Show that Weinstein "will coerce you to do a thing or two." In 2005, Courtney Love advised young actresses in an interview, "If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party in the Four Seasons, don't go." In 2010, an article titled "Harvey's Girls" for Pajiba alluded to Weinstein's "casting couch" reputation: "Every few years, Harvey picks a new girl as his pet". In 2012, a character on the TV series 30 Rock said: "I'm not afraid of anyone in show business, I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions, out of five." At the 2013 Oscars ceremony, host Seth MacFarlane joked when announcing the Best Supporting Actress nominees: "Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein." And in 2015, Jordan Sargent wrote in his Gawker article "Tell Us What You Know About Harvey Weinstein's 'Open Secret'" that "rumors of the powerful producer leveraging his industry power for sexual satisfaction—consensual or otherwise—have tended to remain unaired, confined to hushed conversation and seedier gossip-blog comment threads."

In 2015, The New York Times reported that Weinstein was questioned by police "after a 22-year-old woman accused him of touching her inappropriately". The woman, Italian model Ambra Gutierrez, was portrayed as an opportunist and blackmailer by U.S. tabloids, who associated her with former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's infamous "bunga bunga" sex parties. Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. did not press charges for lack of evidence.

2017 reporting

Substantial allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein were first reported by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey in The New York Times on October 5, 2017. The story accused Weinstein of three decades of sexually harassing and paying eight settlements to actresses and female Miramax and Weinstein Company production assistants, temps, and other employees.

On October 10, 2017, NBC News correspondent Ronan Farrow reported in The New Yorker further allegations that Weinstein had sexually assaulted or harassed 13 women, and raped three of them. Farrow said he had previously wanted to break the story months earlier with NBC but implied the network was under pressure not to publish, which NBC denied. According to Farrow, 16 former, or current, executives and assistants connected with Weinstein said that they had witnessed or had been informed of Weinstein's non-consensual sexual advances to women. Four actresses relayed their suspicion that after rejecting Weinstein's advances and complaining about him, he had them dropped from projects or persuaded others to do so. A number of Farrow's sources said Weinstein had referred to his success in planting stories in the media about individuals who had crossed him. The New Yorker also made available a covert recording made by New York City police in 2015. In it, Weinstein admits to groping Ambra Gutierrez.

Alleged victims

After the New York Times and New Yorker articles were published, many women in the entertainment business made similar allegations against Weinstein. According to their reports, he would invite young actresses or models into a hotel room or office on the pretext of discussing their career, and then demand massages or sex from them. Former colleagues and collaborators of Weinstein told reporters that these activities were enabled by employees, associates and agents who set up these meetings, and lawyers and publicists who suppressed complaints with payments and threats.

The women who said that they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by Weinstein include:

• Lysette Anthony, actress
• Asia Argento, actress and director
• Rosanna Arquette, actress
• Jessica Barth, actress
• Kate Beckinsale, actress
• Zoë Brock, model
• Liza Campbell, writer and artist
• Emma de Caunes, actress
• Florence Darel, actress
• Cara Delevingne, actress and model
• Sophie Dix, actress
• Dawn Dunning, actress
• Alice Evans, actress
• Lucia Evans, formerly Lucia Stoller, actress
• Claire Forlani, actress
• Romola Garai, actress
• Louisette Geiss, screenwriter and actress
• Louise Godbold, nonprofit organization director
• Judith Godrèche, actress
• Heather Graham, actress
• Eva Green, actress
• Ambra Gutierrez, formerly Ambra Battilana, model
• Jessica Hynes, actress
• Angelina Jolie, actress and director
• Ashley Judd, actress
• Elizabeth Karlsen, film producer
• Minka Kelly, actress
• Katherine Kendall, actress
• Mia Kirshner, actress
• Myleene Klass, singer and model
• Laura Madden, Weinstein employee
• Sarah Ann Masse, actress, comedian, and writer
• Rose McGowan, actress
• Emily Nestor, Weinstein employee
• Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
• Zelda Perkins, Weinstein employee
• Sarah Polley, actress, writer, and director
• Tomi-Ann Roberts, professor of psychology
• Lisa Rose, Miramax employee
• Erika Rosenbaum, actress
• Melissa Sagemiller, actress
• Léa Seydoux, actress
• Lauren Sivan, journalist
• Chelsea Skidmore, actress and comedian
• Mira Sorvino, actress
• Tara Subkoff, actress

Anthony, Argento, Evans, McGowan, and an unnamed woman quoted by The New Yorker have accused Weinstein of rape, in addition to sexual harassment and assault.

Weinstein's responses

In response to the New York Times article, Weinstein said: "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it." He said he was due to take a sabbatical and was working with therapists to "deal with this issue head on". His consulting lawyer, Lisa Bloom, described him as "an old dinosaur learning new ways", but, after receiving criticism from board members of The Weinstein Company for her handling of his defense, ended her work for Weinstein on October 7. In an email to The Hollywood Reporter, Weinstein's attorney Charles Harder said his client would be suing The New York Times.

In response to the New Yorker report, a spokesperson for Weinstein made the following statement: "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. (...) Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.”

Reactions

On October 8, 2017, the board of directors of Weinstein's production company, The Weinstein Company, terminated his employment. His wife Georgina Chapman announced on October 10 that she was divorcing Weinstein. Several companies ended their collaborations with The Weinstein Company, including Apple (October 9), Hachette (October 12) and Amazon (October 13). On October 11, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts suspended his membership, and on October 14 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, expelled Weinstein. In a statement, the Academy said that it intended to "send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over."

Many politicians Weinstein had supported, gave his donations to charities, including Democratic Senators Al Franken, Patrick Leahy, and Martin Heinrich. Prominent figures from entertainment and politics condemned Weinstein's actions; Hillary Clinton, and Barack and Michelle Obama denounced Weinstein's reported behavior on October 10. Reporters from The Guardian contacted 20 male actors who had worked with Weinstein; none initially commented. The Guardian concluded that, while many prominent women condemned Weinstein, "most high-profile men in the industry have remained silent".

The New York City and London police said on October 12 that they were reviewing allegations against Weinstein. If prosecuted for felony sexual assault for the allegation that he forced Lucia Evans into oral sex, Weinstein could face up to 25 years in prison, but legal experts considered a prosecution uncertain.