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Harvey Weinstein Was Just Fired From His Own Company Over Sexual Harassment Allegations


Harvey Weinstein, who co-founded The Harvey Weinstein Company, has been forced out by his board of directors in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal brought to light by the New York Times exposé published on Thursday. By Friday, Weinstein had taken a leave of absence, and on Saturday, his lawyer, Lisa Bloom, had called it quits with her client.

The Weinstein Company issued a statement on Sunday announcing the board’s decision:

“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’s alleged patterns of sexual harassment have been one of Hollywood’s open secrets, according to some in the industry, for years now, but the Times report was the first time that women had gone public with claims. Actress Ashley Judd, as well as former employees and associates, all gave testimonies for the Times investigation. The alleged harassment usually involved a business meeting in a hotel room, as well as requests to massage Weinstein or watch him shower. In all, a familiar theme in sexual harassment cases played out: a powerful man abusing his position to coerce a less-powerful woman into sexual situations, protected by a company-wide code of silence.

More stories trickled out after the investigation’s publication, including the harrowing account of a then-Long Island cable news anchor who was trapped in a kitchen as Weinstein allegedly masturbated in front of her. Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy said in an interview at the New Yorker Festival over the weekend that the mention of Weinstein’s name always made women in Hollywood react with a shiver of disgust: “…whenever he would come up in conversation, there was always this ‘ick’ or ‘ugh'” type of reaction,” he said. And it wasn’t just one: it was “all of them.”

There’s no room in Hollywood—or any industry—for this sort of behavior. Here’s hoping that his dismissal makes the film industry a safer place for women.

Related Stories:
–A Female News Anchor Alleges Harvey Weinstein Masturbated in Front of Her
–An Explosive Report Alleges Decades of Sexual Harassment by Harvey Weinstein
–Lena Dunham Wrote a Powerful Response to Those Explosive Harvey Weinstein Allegations



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Lena Dunham Penned a Powerful Response to the Explosive Harvey Weinstein Sexual Harassment Allegations


The New York Times‘ explosive report revealing decades of alleged sexual harassment by film producer-mogul Harvey Weinstein set the Internet—and general public—on fire Thursday. Women took to Twitter to share their own stories of sexual harassment, and public figures quickly acted to distance themselves from him after it broke—including numerous prominent Democratic politicians, who gave away Weinstein’s political contributions to charities. (If you haven’t read the Times investigation yet, grab yourself a cup of coffee and get to it.)

The day the story broke, Lena Dunham joined the many strong female voices on Twitter, voicing her support for the women coming forward with allegations against him. “The woman who chose to speak about their experience of harassment by Harvey Weinstein deserve our awe. It’s not fun or easy. It’s brave,” she wrote. The next day, she issued a powerful statement on Instagram, going a little deeper into her thoughts on the now-on-indefinite-leave producer’s behavior—and how very widespread the issue is in Hollywood.

“Yesterday an essential piece of reporting in The New York Times came out, detailing many years of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein toward a range of women,” she wrote. “Not only was the report horrifying, it made clear how hard it is to come forward and the complicity of so many. Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. This needs to end, and it’s high time Hollywood shone a light on itself and made real changes in the behavior we accept from those in power. If you agree (and I think you do) I hope you’ll share the story. By lifting these women up, we change this age old story for them and for everyone.”

In the meantime, she has a suggestion for what Weinstein’s post-Times report course of action should have been:

Related Stories:
–An Explosive Report Alleges Decades of Sexual Harassment by Hollywood Powerhouse Harvey Weinstein
–Democratic Senators Give Away Donations From Harvey Weinstein Over Harassment Allegations
–After Harvey Weinstein Allegations, Women Share Stories of Sexual Harassment on Twitter,



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Democratic Senators Give Away Donations From Harvey Weinstein Over Harassment Allegations


Multiple Democratic senators have announced plans to give Harvey Weinstein’s campaign donations to charity following a New York Times investigation revealing that the Hollywood studio executive had reached eight settlements over the course of almost three decades with women who alleged he sexual harassed them .

According to Variety, the list of senators returning Weinstein’s political contributions began with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who announced on Thursday plans to donate the $2,700 to the Women’s Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Al Franken (D-MN), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have since followed suit, disavowing Weinstein and diverting his contributions to nonprofit organizations advocating for women’s rights and victims of harassment and assault.

The Democratic National Committee, which received a reported $30,890 from Weinstein, has also pledged to donate the money to women’s organizations.

“The allegations… are deeply troubling,” the DNC said in a statement, according to the Daily Beast. “The Democratic Party condemns all forms of sexual harassment and assault.”

The DNC continued: “The DNC will donate over $30,000 in contributions from Weinstein to EMILY’s List, Emerge America and Higher Heights because what we need is more women in power, not men like Trump who continue to show us that they lack respect for more than half of America.”

Weinstein also donated to multiple Hillary Clinton campaigns between 1999 and 2016; as of this writing, she has yet to release a statement on Weinstein and whether she’ll go the way of her fellow Democrats. Between his own contributions and other fundraising efforts, Weinstein donated $679,275 for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Like Clinton, Obama has so far remained silent on Weinstein.

Variety‘s report states that these contributions make up Weinstein’s 20 years’ worth of political spending, which amounts to “more than $1.4 million in total to federal candidates, parties, and political action committees since 1990.”

Weinstein’s deep ties to the party, however, extend beyond finances. Weinstein often acted as a kind of social liaison between Hollywood and D.C., arranging a meeting between former Vice President Joe Biden and actor Bradley Cooper in 2012, and bringing Malia Obama on as an intern at his company earlier this year.

These relationships have made the scandal surrounding Weinstein’s treatment of women an occasion for the Republican Party to turn the tables on politicians who decry the GOP’s anti-woman policies.

“During three-decades worth of sexual harassment allegations, Harvey Weinstein lined the pockets of Democrats to the tune of three-quarters of a million dollars,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said in the statement. “If Democrats and the [Democratic National Committee] truly stand up for women like they say they do, then returning this dirty money should be a no brainer.”

So far, for most Democrats, it has been.



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Paris Hilton Apologizes for Defending Donald Trump Over Sexual Assault Allegations


PHOTO: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin

Earlier this week, a profile of Paris Hilton—published by *Marie Claire*—meant to highlight her accomplishments in the international DJ, pop music, and perfume realms quickly made headlines for her remarks about President Donald Trump. On Thursday, the hotel heiress issued an apology to US Weekly.

“I want to apologize for my comments from an interview I did last year,” she said in a statement. “They were part of a much larger story and I am regretful that they were not delivered in the way I had intended. I was speaking about my own experiences in life and the role of media and fame in our society and it was never my intention for my comments to be misapplied almost a year later.”

During the course of the interview, Hilton seemed nonplussed by the infamous Access Hollywood tape—the one in which Trump bragged about grabbing women “by the p-ssy”—telling reporter Irin Carmon, “I’ve heard guys say the craziest things ever, because I’m always around guys, and I listen to them speak.” Further, when asked about the multiple women who came forward with allegations that the President had sexually assaulted them, Hilton dismissed their claims, saying, “I think that they are just trying to get attention and get fame.”

Not long after the piece was published, Carmon shared an extended transcript of her conversation with Hilton, and it seemed to support her defense of Trump (a man who is also an old friend of her family’s):

Hilton’s comments caused a wave of backlash from the public, and she further addressed this criticism in her statement:

“I always believe in helping women have their voices heard and helping create an environment where women feel empowered and believe in themselves. I am deeply hurt by how this has played out and also deeply sorry. Moving forward I will continue to do what I can to be an advocate for girls and women with the hopes of providing louder voice for those who may desperately need it.”



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