‘Sex pest’ Weinstein fired
ALLEGATIONS: POWERHOUSE PRODUCER HARASSED ACTRESSES Trump ‘not at all surprised’ by revelations about Hollywood heavyweight.
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was fired from his film studio, The Weinstein Company, on Sunday following reports that he sexually harassed women over several decades.
“In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company ... have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated,” the company’s board said in a statement.
The firing came after The New York Times published a report that alleged Weinstein, whose company produced such hits as The King’s Speech and The Artist, preyed on young women hoping to break into the film industry.
The accusers – reportedly including celebrities such as Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd – say Weinstein promised to help advance their careers in exchange for sexual favours, pressuring them to massage him and watch him naked.
Republicans have pounced on the scandal because Weinstein has been a major backer of Democratic candidates. President Donald Trump, who said he had known Weinstein for a “very long time”, said he was “not at all surprised” by the revelations.
Many in the entertainment industry have spoken out in the wake of the allegations. “The women who chose to speak about their experience of harassment by Weinstein deserve our awe,” actress and self-proclaimed feminist Lena Dunham said. “It’s not fun or easy, it’s brave.”
Five of the company’s nine all-male board members have resigned over the scandal.
In a statement, Weinstein – a staunch Democratic campaign fundraiser who backed Hillary Clinton in her presidential bid – said he respected all women and was hoping for a second chance while acknowledging he had “work to do to earn it”.
His lawyer Charles Harder, hired to prepare a lawsuit against the Times, said the report “relies on hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses”. He promised to donate any proceeds from the case to women’s organisations.
A father-of-two married to British fashion designer Georgina Chapman, Weinstein is considered a powerhouse in Hollywood. –