Like Alyssa, crowds speak up: #MeToo
Acting on a friend’s idea, actress Alyssa Milano said she just wanted to remind anyone who’s ever been sexually harassed that they are not alone. Thousands echoed her on social media, and the hashtag #MeToo quickly became viral. Among the women who spoke up were Debra Messing, Anna Paquin, and Evan Rachel Wood.
Actress Alyssa Milano is getting thousands of responses on Twitter to her request that people reply to her on the social network with “me too” if they have been sexually harassed or assaulted.
#MeToo became a top trending topic on Twitter.
Milano, 44, received “me, too” responses from “Will and Grace” star Debra Messing and Anna Paquin, the Oscar-winning actress from New Zealand.
Milano said on her Twitter account that she got the idea from a friend. Milano said her friend told her such a tweet “might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”
In another tweet that links to a blog post, Milano, who was one of the stars of the long-running sitcom “Who’s the Boss,” wrote the following about film producer Harvey Weinstein: “While I am sickened and angered over the disturbing accusations of Weinstein’s sexual predation and abuse of power, I’m happy—ecstatic even—that it has opened up a dialogue around the continued sexual harassment, objectification and degradation of women.”
In another related Weinstein development, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he wants to revoke Weinstein’s Legion of Honor award over the multiple accusations of sexual assault and harassment against the Hollywood titan.
In a move virtually unprecedented, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also revoked Weinstein’s membership.
The decision was reached in an emergency session by the academy, the world’s top movie organization and home to the Oscars. The expulsion was effective immediately.
It comes after recent reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker about sexual harassment and rape allegations against Weinstein going back decades. He has denied the accusations against him.
Meanwhile, comedian James Corden is getting flack for joking about Weinstein.
Corden made a string of quips about Weinstein and the sexual misconduct allegations against him during a Hollywood charity event Friday. Corden joked about Weinstein in a bathtub and said “he’ll settle for whatever potted plant is closest.”
Italian actress Asia Argento, one of Weinstein’s accusers, chided Corden on Sunday on Twitter, saying “shame on this pig.”
Rose McGowan, another Weinstein accuser, tweeted that Corden’s jokes show “EXACTLY what kind of HOLLYWOOD you really are.”
The host of “The Late Late Show” apologized on Twitter, saying he intended to shame Weinstein and called Weinstein’s behavior “inexcusable.” Corden tweeted, “To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter.”