Updated Oct. 12, 2017, 8:50 a.m. PT: Harvey Weinstein may be making good on his promise to seek treatment for sex addiction. Sources tell Entertainment Tonight that he just flew to Arizona, home of The Meadows treatment center, where his brother urged him to go. Weinstein was reportedly planning to seek treatment in Switzerland, but his flight there was delayed and his brother convinced him to stay in the U.S. according to ET.
But while Weinstein’s apparent decision to get treatment might seem contrite, he was photographed giving two middle fingers to paparazzi as he entered his lawyer’s office Wednesday just hours before he left for Arizona on a private jet, so he doesn’t exactly seem repentant.
Meanwhile, Weinstein’s wife, Georgina Chapman, is reportedly “not doing well” since announcing that she’s leaving him.
“She is very upset and feels defeated,” an insider said, adding that Chapman wasn’t completely in the dark about Weinstein’s reputation; she “always knew [Weinstein] exhibited questionable behavior.”
The source says Weinstein himself is “feeling very desperate and he is struggling.”
Weinstein told paparazzi Wednesday, “I’m not doing OK, but I’m trying. I gotta get help.” He then attacked the many A-listers who have spoken out against him this week, saying, “And you know I’ve always been loyal to you guys, not like those fucking pussies who treat you like shit. I’ve been the good guy.”
More and more women have come forward in the last few days, adding their accounts of sexual harassment and assault by Weinstein. He has now been accused of sexual misconduct by nearly two dozen women.
Updated Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, 8:00 a.m. PT: Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder and CEO of the company he built, the Weinstein Company, has been fired following allegations of three decades of sexual harassment and assault published in a New York Times exposé on Friday.
On Sunday, the remaining members of the company’s board — several of whom have already stepped down in the wake of the allegations — released a statement saying, “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.”
Weinstein had previously released a statement of his own saying he was taking a leave of absence to work with a therapist and “deal with this issue head on.”
Weinstein’s brother and co-chairman, Robert Weinstein, and the chief operating officer, David Glasser, will lead the company going forward.
The Weinstein Company is distancing itself from Weinstein, long one of Hollywood’s most powerful men, after many of his lawyers and key advisers already did so.
Updated Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017: Not only has one-third of Weinstein’s all-male company board already resigned, but Weinstein’s lawyer Lisa Bloom also announced that she was resigning as his council.
I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein.
My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement.— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) October 7, 2017
Bloom received a ton of criticism for representing Weinstein amidst sexual assault allegations because she has previously been a huge proponent for women’s rights. Even Bloom’s mother Gloria Allred took issue with Bloom’s decision to represent Weinstein.
“Had I been asked by Mr. Weinstein to represent him, I would have declined, because I do not represent individuals accused of sex harassment,” Allred said in a statement, according to Vanity Fair. “I only represent those who allege that they are victims of sexual harassment.”
Even Weinstein’s brother, Bob Weinstein, reportedly criticized Bloom’s decision to represent his brother, according to the New York Times.
“You have a commercial relationship with TWC via a TV deal so how can you possibly provide impartial advice to Harvey or address this group with any credibility?” board member Lance Maerov said to Bloom in an e-mail, shared by the The Times article. Weinstein had previously agreed to adapt Bloom’s book, Suspicion Nation.
Meanwhile, the remaining board members of The Weinstein Company board have reportedly hired an outside law firm to represent their interests in the ongoing investigation.
The Times further reports company president, David Glasser, said in an e-mail to employees on Friday that the company was “taking the allegations seriously” and using the investigation to determine the “best decision for how to address the situation.”
Original article:
High-profile film executive Harvey Weinstein is facing shocking allegations of sexual harassment lodged by Ashley Judd and multiple other women. The New York Times detailed the troubling claims in an exposé piece Thursday, citing that its research found undisclosed allegations against Weinstein stretching over nearly three decades.
According to The Times, these claims can all be corroborated through interviews, legal records, emails and internal documents from the two companies Weinstein has headed: Miramax and the Weinstein Company.
More:Harvey Weinstein Was Slapped With a Shocking Sexual Allegation
Two company officials — who reportedly spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity — allege that Weinstein previously reached at least eight settlements with women who complained of unwanted physical conduct and other sexual harassment during which Weinstein was naked, either fully or partially.
Ashley Judd, one of the women alleging abuse, says that Weinstein invited her up to his room two decades ago, presumably for a business breakfast. However, upon entering the room, a bathrobe-clad Weinstein instead asked Judd if she would watch him shower.
“Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time,” she said in a recent interview, “and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.”
The Times also reported that Scream actress Rose McGowan reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein following an incident in a hotel room in the late ’90s. Shortly after The Times article broke, McGowan posted on Twitter, “Women fight on. And to the men out there, stand up. We need you as allies. #bebrave.”
https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/916022471165276161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
When The Times reached out to Weinstein for comment, he said, “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.”
In the lengthy statement (read the entire text here), Weinstein said he was a product of his time. “I came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then. I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office — or out of it. To anyone.”
More: Ashley Judd’s Experience With Hollywood Sexual Predator Is Horrible
He pointed out that Marchesa fashion designer Georgina Chapman, his wife and the mother of two of his five children (he has three with ex-wife Eve Chilton), is remaining by his side.
“She stands 100 percent behind me. Georgina and I have talked about this at length. We went out with [attorney] Lisa Bloom last night when we knew the article was coming out. Georgina will be with Lisa and others kicking my ass to be a better human being and to apologize to people for my bad behavior, to say I’m sorry, and to absolutely mean it.”
He also noted to The Times that he was taking a leave of absence to “deal with this issue head on.”
Despite the frequency of allegations against him, Weinstein managed to maintain his status as a sought-after producer, collecting six Best Picture Oscars. He has also been the recipient of awards for humanitarian work.
“From the outside, it seemed golden — the Oscars, the success, the remarkable cultural impact,” Mark Gill, former president of Miramax Los Angeles, told The Times. “But behind the scenes, it was a mess, and this was the biggest mess of all.”
Since The Times piece went live, Weinstein has hired hard-hitting LA attorney Charles J. Harder, who is known for landing a $140 million verdict against Gawker after the site published a Hulk Hogan sex tape. Weinstein, via Harder, then announced his intentions to sue The Times. Although a specific figure wasn’t given, Page Six estimates the amount in the ballpark of $50 million.
More:Kevin Smith Reams Harvey Weinstein
In a statement on Weinstein’s behalf, Harder told Page Six, “The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein. It relies mostly on hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by 9 different eyewitnesses. We sent The Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations.”
Bloom, another lawyer advising Weinstein, issued a statement as well, saying that Weinstein refutes “many of the accusations as patently false” and referring to the movie mogul as “an old dinosaur learning new ways.”
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