The first of two articles regarding allegations of sexual harassment concerning Harvey Weinstein and a number of women was released yesterday by the New York Times, and it made for some pretty disturbing reading.
The fallout of the article has been immediate and apparent, to say the least. Weinstein has since released a slightly odd statement, misquoting a Jay Z song in the process and vowing that he is going to channel his anger into focusing on the National Rifle Association and Donald Trump. On top of that, Weinstein admitted in his statement that he "needed to be a better person, and my interactions with the people I work with have changed. I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.”
Variety has reported that Weinstein's fate at the company he and his brother started - The Weinstein Company - is due to be decided by the end of the day, with a meeting of the board called. Despite Weinstein's early statement and its apologetic tone, one of his legal team - Charles Harder, who previously represented Hulk Hogan during his Gawker trial - has vowed to sue the New York Times for making "false and defamatory statements" about his client.
Needless to say, the news has spread across Twitter in the past twenty-four hours, with everyone from Donald Trump Jr. linking Weinstein to Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, to Lena Dunham and Amber Tamblyn praising the women who stepped forward to name Weinstein on the record. Meanwhile, Ashley Judd has released no statement following the publication of the article or her admission of Weinstein's harassment, however Rose McGowan has stated that "(anyone) who does business with __ is complicit. And deep down you know you are even dirtier. Cleanse yourselves."
Meanwhile, CNN anchor Jake Tapper posted a comment from an unnamed Hollywood producer, saying that they were "(shocked) it’s taken so long for a Harvey Weinstein behavior expose. One of the most open secrets in Hollywood."
You can read the full New York Times article here.