Last week, the New York Times published a story detailing one of Hollywood’s dark secrets: movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was a sexual predator. While the paper initially provided details on a handful of women who were subjected to Weinstein’s unwanted advances, a total of 23 have since come forward to tell their own stories. Their testimonies reveal a pattern of abuse that is difficult to digest. Below are a few of the well-known stars who were subjected to Weinstein’s disgusting behavior.
In the early ‘90s, Weinstein reportedly asked Rosanna Arquette to give him a massage and attempted to put her hand on his penis. She rejected his overtures. Arquette told the New Yorker that Weinstein said she was “making a big mistake” and subsequently made things very difficult for the actress in her career.
According to Gwyneth Paltrow, Weinstein made a sexual advance towards her in his hotel suite in 1994 while they were making “Emma” together. She told her boyfriend at the time, Brad Pitt, who confronted Weinstein. Paltrow was warned to keep quiet about the incident. She told the New York Times: “We’re at a point in time when women need to send a clear message that this is over. This way of treating women ends now.”
In 1995, Weinstein reportedly harassed Mira Sorvino during the Toronto International Film Festival. He later went to her apartment late at night for a “meeting,” but he finally left when she lied and said her boyfriend was en route.
Ashley Judd, who was one of the initial women named in the New York Times piece, turned Weinstein down after he propositioned her at his hotel suite in 1996.
The New York Times revealed that Rose McGowan received a $100,000 settlement from Weinstein after an incident occurred in a hotel room at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. That same year, Asia Argento says the filmmaker performed oral sex on her even though she told him to stop. The then 21-year-old called the event a “nightmare” and was afraid to tell anyone about it afterward.
Angelina Jolie told the New York Times: “I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did. This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.” The alleged incident occurred in 1998.
The fallout for the co-founder of Miramax Films and the Weinstein Company has been swift. The Weinstein Company fired him on Sunday and said in a statement: “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately.” According to TMZ, he is going to Europe to a rehabilitation facility for sex addiction.
