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An Explosive Report Alleges Decades of Sexual Harassment by Hollywood Powerhouse Harvey Weinstein


According to a bombshell report from The New York Times, Harvey Weinstein—the Hollywood powerhouse and studio executive behind films like Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, and Silver Linings Playbook—has faced numerous allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact from female employees, some dating back three decades.

Times reporters spoke to dozens of former and current employees of the Weinstein Company, a film studio founded by Weinstein and his brother, Bob, as well as people within the broader film industry and uncovered numerous accusations of inappropriate conduct. At least eight settlements have been reached since 1990, including a 1997 settlement with a then 23-year-old Rose McGowan. The Charmed actress reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein after an incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival; however, according to a legal document obtained by the Times, this monetary agreement was “not to be construed as an admission” but rather an effort to “avoid litigation and buy peace.”

Several women relayed similar stories of misconduct by Weinstein, often occurring when the executive would invite them for meetings at a hotel. The Times spoke with actress Ashley Judd, who said that Weinstein invited her to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel in the 1990s for what she assumed was a breakfast meeting. Instead, she was summoned to his room. Weinstein was wearing a bathrobe and asked if Judd could watch him shower or if he could give her a massage.

When Judd recounted the incident to the Times, she said she remembered wondering, How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?

Another woman, former temporary employee Emily Nestor, also met with Weinstein at the Peninsula in 2014. According to the Times, she was told that if she “accepted his sexual advances, he would boost her career.”

The Times also obtained a 2015 memo written by former Weinstein Company employee Lauren O’Connor who was among the women who received a settlement from the film executive. O’Connor detailed allegations that spanned a two-year period, including an incident with another female employee who said that Weinstein appeared naked before her and forced her to give him a massage. As O’Connor wrote, the encounter left the woman “crying and very distraught.”

“There is a toxic environment for women at this company,” O’Connor wrote. “The balance of power is me: 0, Harvey Weinstein: 10.”

Though dozens of employees were aware of Weinstein’s alleged behavior, very few ever confronted him about it. Instead, Weinstein perpetuated what the Times called a “code of silence.” Employees could not criticize company executives in ways that could hurt both the company’s or a personal employee’s reputation. And women who did receive settlements—which typically spanned from $80,000 to $150,000—often signed confidentiality agreements.

But when O’Connor’s memo hit in 2015, executives and board members at the Weinstein Company—including Weinstein’s brother—were disturbed. But ultimately, O’Connor reached a settlement with Weinstein, withdrew her complaint, and left the company—all the while thanking Weinstein for the experience to be part of the film industry. After the settlement was reached, the board was informed that there was nothing to investigate.

In a statement given to the Times, Weinstein 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.”

He revealed that he’s been working with therapists and is planning to take a leave of absence in order to “deal with this issue head-on.”

Attorney Lisa Bloom, who has been advising Weinstein and previously represented clients who brought sexual harassment charges against Bill O’Reilly, told the Times in a statement that Weinstein “denies many of the accusations as patently false.” Bloom has been counseling Weinstein on gender and power dynamics, and referred to him as an “old dinosaur learning new ways.”

Bloom further said that she’s “explained to him that due to the power difference between a major studio head like him and most others in the industry, whatever his motives, some of his words and behaviors can be perceived as inappropriate, even intimidating.”

However, according to a report from BuzzFeed News published Thursday afternoon, one of Weinstein’s other attorneys, Charles Harder, is preparing a lawsuit against the Times and will donate proceeds to women’s organizations. In a statement to BuzzFeed news, Harder said:

“The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with
false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein. It relies on
mostly 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.”

A representative from the Times told BuzzFeed News, “We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting. Mr. Weinstein was aware and able to respond to specific allegations in our story before publication. In fact, we published his response in full.”



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Meet Natalie, Emily, and Alyvia Alyn Lind: the Sisters About to Take Over Hollywood


The expression “It runs in the family” takes on a whole new layer when you consider how many famous siblings there are in Hollywood. As the Hemsworth brothers, the Olsen twins, the Fanning sisters, the Gyllenhaals, and the entire Kardashian-Jenner dynasty have shown, some families seem to be blessed with extra talent and good genes.

That’s why we took notice when a new trio of sisters started to appear on the scene. Meet the Alyn Linds: Natalie, 17; Emily, 15; and Alyvia (also known as Aly), 10. They’re young, but they’ve been working hard for years and are poised to become the next generation of small and big-screen stars.

And though their names might be new to you, you’ve likely seen at least one of them in a show or movie over the last decade. Both Emily and Aly appeared as young versions of Amanda on ABC’s Revenge, and Natalie has spent the last few years on Gotham (as Silver St. Cloud) and The Goldbergs. She made her TV debut in 2006 on One Tree Hill when—wait for it—her mother, Barbara Alyn Woods, played Deb Scott on the series.

“We were born into it,” Natalie jokes. “When I was born, my mom was doing the TV show version of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. When Emily was born, she was doing a movie. And when Aly was born, she was doing One Tree Hill.” (The whole family is in the industry, actually: The girls’ father, John Lind, is a director/producer and met Barbara on the set of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.)

Now, starting tonight, Natalie makes her debut as Lauren Strucker on Fox’s new Marvel series The Gifted. Later this season, Emily will join the cast of CBS’ Code Black full-time as Marcia Gay Harden’s adopted daughter. And then there’s Aly, who just finished playing a young Dolly Parton on NBC’s Christmas special Coat of Many Colors and currently stars on the CBS daytime drama, The Young and the Restless. Aly will also appear alongside Anna Faris in the Overboard remake.

So, yeah, you’ll be seeing a lot more of the Alyn Lind sisters in the coming years.

PHOTO: ©CaydieMcCumber

Clearly, their hard work is paying off—but performing is something they’ve always loved doing. “Their journey into acting just kind of happened,” their mother, Barbara, explains. “There wasn’t a plan; it wasn’t our goal. But just like a kid decides to play soccer or become a cheerleader or become a scientist, whatever it is they decide, you just accept what they do. It was inevitable, I think, in their case because John and I are both in the business, but they succeeded at it and they love it. Because of that, I get just as much—if not more—satisfaction and pride. They have such level heads, and they’re so good to everyone on the set. That makes me prouder than anything.”

It helps that Natalie, Emily, and Aly have each other when they hit rough patches. “A lot of actors go through this career having to figure it out for themselves, but when I have a question, I’ll turn to my sisters or my mom or my dad because we have the pleasure of being able to relate on the same subjects,” Natalie says. “That’s pretty incredible.”

Of course, Barbara and her husband try to guide them as much as possible. “Having done this for many years, it’s just really important for them to stay true to themselves,” Barbara says. “This business always want to meld you into what it thinks it wants. They want you to be younger, to be older, to have different hair colors, to be thinner…. I don’t want them to listen to those that say, ‘You need to be this, or you need to be that.'”

Natalie Alyn Lind

PHOTO: Caydie McCumber

The sisters’ goals extend beyond acting—they want to make an impact with their chosen profession. “I want to see stories onscreen that my friends and I go through in our regular lives,” Emily says. “I’ve seen my friends battle eating disorders, anxiety disorders, mental illness…lots of things that people don’t always want to talk about.” She references Lily Collins’ portrayal of a young woman battling anorexia in To the Bone and 13 Reasons Why as the kind of content her generation needs. “When I watch TV or see a movie, I think, ‘I want to relate to this character.’ I want to know that someone is here for me whether it’s a 30-minute show or a 2-hour film. That’s our role as actors, and those are the roles I want to play. I know kids who have gone through things and feel very alone. When you watch movies or television, you don’t want to see the perfect person all the time. It gets really boring.”

“I mean, look at Wonder Woman and what Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins did,” Natalie adds. “They were both so inspiring. They didn’t take away from the male characters and still made them these extremely strong and badass guys. You just feel empowered walking out of that movie and proud to be a woman. That’s so important.”

Which is why the sisters want to make a point of working with more women—both in front of and behind the camera. “I just did a movie [2016’s An American Girl Story] where the entire crew was mostly female, and they were all amazing,” Aly says. “It’s so empowering.”

“Maybe it’s a maternal thing, but you just feel really safe in the environment,” Emily adds. “A lot of times when you are around guys, you feel like maybe they’ll put you down for certain things. This is not with everyone, but you might have your guard up a little bit more. You’re not yourself as much.”

Emily Alyn Lind

PHOTO: Caydie McCumber

“I’d never done the mandatory safety meeting about sexual harassment until recently,” she continued. “The instructor was talking about how guys on set will sometimes call you out, like, ‘Hey baby.’ And the guys [in the class] weren’t taking it seriously. They were yelling out jokes. In the back of my mind, I was thinking, ‘Oh, you’re not taking this seriously. You’re still going to think the same things no matter what.’ Honestly, I’m really over it. I don’t want to be called baby or sugar. I don’t like it. Don’t treat me like that just because I’m a woman. A lot of crews—and don’t get me wrong, I’ve had amazing crews with men—but you’ll overhear conversations, and they’re very sexist. The bottom line is, a lot of times guys don’t realize the effects of their comments. We all just need to be super respectful of each other.”

Seeing more successful female directors in the industry, like Jenkins and Angelina Jolie, have also inspired the sisters to think about what their own careers could look like. “I love that Angelina Jolie has gone behind the camera in addition to acting,” Natalie says. “I love this industry, but I don’t want to be solely an actress. What I admire most about Angelina is that her mind is as equally beautiful as her body. It’s important to keep your mind as beautiful as your heart.”

The future is long and bright for the sisters, but there is one constant that will keep them grounded: their bond from these shared experiences. “Your family is forever, no matter what,” Natalie explains. “You can’t break that sister bond. We’ll always be close.”

Natalie, Alyvia and Emily Alyn Lind

PHOTO: ©CaydieMcCumber

Photo Credits: Caydie McCumber Photography
Styling Credits: Hair by Laura Rugetti and Casey Miller/Beauty Can Salon



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Amber Tamblyn Just Published a Powerful Piece About Harassment in Hollywood


One thing that should definitely be on your weekend reading list? Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star Amber Tamblyn‘s powerful New York Times op-ed published online Saturday. In it, she calls out the men who deny women’s stories of harassment and the ubiquity of sexual harassment in the acting industry before encouraging women to rise up and come forward with their own accounts.

A bit of background: Tamblyn and actor James Woods got into a heated debate about relationships and consent on Twitter last week when Woods criticized the age difference in a relationship in Armie Hammer’s upcoming movie Call Me By Your Name. Hammer called him out by tweeting, “Didn’t you date a 19-year-old when you were 60?”

Tamblyn added on to Hammer’s reply with a biting allegation: “James Woods tried to pick me and my friend up at a restaurant once. He wanted to take us to Vegas. ‘I’m 16,’ I said. ‘Even better,’ he said.” Woods responded that Tamblyn was lying.

In Tamblyn’s new Times op-ed, she writes about how she’s fed up with not being believed—and wants other women, especially in Hollywood, to speak up with their own stories of harassment.

“I told this story publicly as a way to back up the claim that Mr. Woods was, indeed, a hypocrite. Mr. Woods called my account a lie,” Tamblyn wrote in her Times piece about the Twitter exchange. “What would I get out of accusing this person of such an action, almost 20 years after the fact? Notoriety, power or respect? I am more than confident with my quota of all three.”

In her piece, Tamblyn recounts another incident, years ago, when she was starring in Joan of Arcadia. After being harassed on set, she writes, she’d worked up her courage and gone to the producer of Joan of Arcadia to talk about what was going on. Tamblyn says he listened but then told her, “There are two sides to every story.”

“For women in America who come forward with stories of harassment, abuse and sexual assault, there are not two sides to every story, however noble that principle might seem,” Tamblyn writes. “Women do not get to have a side. They get to have an interrogation. Too often, they are questioned mercilessly about whether their side is legitimate. Especially if that side happens to accuse a man of stature, then that woman has to consider the scrutiny and repercussions she’ll be subjected to by sharing her side.”

Tamblyn continues by powerfully describing the minute-but-impactful risk negotiations involved in being a woman, especially when it comes to speaking up about matters like harassment.

“Every day, women across the country consider the risks. That is our day job and our night shift,” she writes. “We have a diploma in risk consideration. Consider that skirt. Consider that dark alley. Consider questioning your boss. Consider what your daughter will think of you. Consider what your mother will think of what your daughter will think of you. Consider how it will be twisted and used against you in a court of law. Consider whether you did, perhaps, really ask for it. Consider your weight. Consider dieting. Consider agelessness. Consider silence.”

Tamblyn, who also penned an open letter to Woods in Teen Vogue last week, spoke of sexism in the industry by comparing the sad state of Hollywood to a deep swimming pool: “I have been afraid of speaking out or asking things of men in positions of power for years. What I have experienced as an actress working in a business whose business is to objectify women is frightening. It is the deep end of a pool where I cannot swim. It is a famous man telling you that you are a liar for what you have remembered. For what you must have misremembered, unless you have proof.”

Her powerful opinion piece ends with a call to action for women to rise up and share their own stories: “The women I know, myself included, are done, though, playing the credentials game. We are learning that the more we open our mouths, the more we become a choir. And the more we are a choir, the more the tune is forced to change.”

Read her full op-ed here.

Related: Amber Tamblyn Writes Powerful Open Letter to Actor James Woods



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