Weinstein sacked by his own studio over ‘harassment’

Harvey Weinstein, the film producer, has been sacked after a litany of sexual harassment allegations emerged last week. The Weinstein Company, a major Hollywood studio that Weinstein co-founded, made the decision last night as new details of his alleged misconduct emerged.

HOLLYWOOD mogul Harvey Weinstein has been fired by his own company after new information emerged regarding his conduct, the company’s board of directors said last night.

The announcement from The Weinstein Company directors follows sexual harassment allegations against the Oscar-winning film producer which were detailed in an exposé by The New York Times on Thursday.

“In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company – Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar – have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” the statement read.

A lawyer for Mr Weinstein did not immediately comment.

Mr Weinstein was already on indefinite leave from the company he cofounded while it investigated claims made by women including actors Ashley Judd and Rose Mcgowan, and which stretched back many years. Television presenter Lauren Sivan also detailed an alleged 2007 encounter with Mr Weinstein in a report on Friday.

The mogul has exerted power in Hollywood for three decades, producing films including Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love, for which he won an Oscar. The New York Times article chronicled allegations against him from Judd and former employees at both The Weinstein Company and a former studio, Miramax, over the course of several decades.

Mr Weinstein issued a lengthy statement on Thursday that acknowledged causing “a lot of pain”. He had also asked for “a second chance”.