Names and faces
Actress Meryl Streep is weighing in on the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment allegations, calling the revelations “disgraceful” and championing the women who came forward as “heroes.” In a statement Monday to the Huffington Post, Streep chastised the man she once referred to as “God” during her 2012 Oscar acceptance speech for The Iron Lady. But Streep was also quick to disavow any prior knowledge of Weinstein’s alleged bad behavior, acknowledging that to her he was only ever “exasperating but respectful.” Streep went a step further and suggested that if Weinstein’s conduct were common knowledge, then surely the media would not have “neglected for decades to write about it.” Sunday night, Sharon Waxman of the website The Wrap wrote about that same issue, but from the media’s point of view, claiming that she wrote about Weinstein’s behavior for The New York Times in 2004 but outside pressure forced the newspaper to gut the story. Weinstein, who has yet to address the eight allegations of sexual harassment detailed by The New York Times, did apologize for his actions. Streep, a three-time winner of the Academy Award, concluded her statement by praising the women who spoke out about their experiences and the media that amplified their voices. “Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game,” she said.
Radio host Delilah said she is taking a break from her nationally syndicated program to grieve after her son took his own life last week. Delilah, whose full name is Delilah Rene though she uses only her first name on-air, posted on Facebook Saturday that her son Zachariah killed himself on Oct. 3. She wrote that Zachariah “was being treated, counseled, and embraced fiercely by family and friends while battling depression for some time now.” With his death, she wrote that: “I will be absent from the radio and on social media for a time as I grieve and try to process this loss with my family. Please pray for my beloved Zacky, and I will pray for all suffering from this debilitating disease called depression.” Delilah added a picture of her son with the post. She didn’t say how old he was. Ten of Delilah’s 13 children are adopted. Her son Sammy died in 2012 at the age of 16 amid a battle with sickle cell anemia.