McGowan takes to Twitter on allegations
Social media outcry followed actress’s ban after she spoke out against Harvey Weinstein
NEW YORK— After a suspension earlier in the day from Twitter, actress Rose McGowan forcefully re-emerged Thursday, stating more frankly what she has long suggested: “HW raped me.”
“HW” was apparently in reference to Harvey Weinstein, the embattled former Weinstein Co. co-chairman.
“Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” Weinstein’s representative Sallie Hofmeister said Thursday.
McGowan last year said that she had been raped by a “studio head.” The New Yorker exposé that ran Tuesday reported that Weinstein had allegedly sexually assaulted three women, though the third woman was unnamed. “I told the head of your studio that HW raped me,” said McGowan in tweets directed to Amazon chief Jeff Bezos. “Over and Over I said it. He said it hadn’t been proven. I said I was the proof.”
In subsequent tweets, McGowan appeared to suggest that Amazon Studios, which is overseen by Roy Price, previously dropped a project penned by McGowan after she insisted Weinstein not be involved.
In a statement Thursday, Amazon said Price is on leave following allegations of sexual harassment. His leave of absence is effective immediately.
The decision came hours after the Hollywood Reporter published a producer’s detailed claims of harassment by Price. Producer Isa Hackett alleged that Price propositioned her in 2015 using suggestive language.
Christopher Tricarico, an attorney for Hackett, confirmed the trade paper’s report. In an email, he said Hackett doesn’t intend to pursue legal action against Amazon or Price.
In its statement, Amazon says it’s reviewing options for projects it has with the Weinstein company.
Considering McGowan’s stature as acentral figure in the Weinstein saga, Twitter sparked an outcry across social media when it temporarily suspended McGowan from its service. The ban was lifted Thursday afternoon but not before a storm of criticism from Jessica Chastain, Anthony Bourdain and many others.
Twitter said Thursday that it suspended McGowan’s account because she tweeted a private phone number, a practice it said violated its service terms. The company said it will “be clearer about these policies and decisions in the future.”
Meanwhile, police in New York City and London are taking a fresh look into sexual assault allegations against Weinstein now that some 30 women have accused him of inappropriate conduct. A New York Police Department spokesperson said investigators are reviewing police files to see if anyone else reported being assaulted or harassed. With files from the New York Times