Since the #MeToo movement gathered momentum and Harvey Weinstein's alleged offences against numerous women were first exposed, the disgraced film producer has kept a relatively low profile.

However, last night Weinstein - who is facing five criminal charges for rape and assault - attended an event called 'Actors Hour' event at a bar in New York, allegedly at the invitation of its organiser.

His presence did not go unnoted by several of the comedians who took to the stage. One of them, Kelly Bachman, said: "There’s an elephant in the room. It’s more of a Freddy Krueger, actually. I didn’t realise I needed to bring my own mace and rape whistle to Actors' Hour."

She was then booed by several members of the audience, with one telling her to 'shut up'.

"Sorry," she continued, "that killed at group therapy for rape survivors. I have been raped - surprisingly not by anyone here - and I’ve never been able to confront those guys, so just a general “F*** you”."

The exchange was captured on video by a member of the audience:

Another, non-binary actor Zoe Stuckless, was removed from the event after she stood by Weinstein's table and screamed "Nobody’s going to say anything? Nobody’s really going to say anything?!"

She later told Vulture that a male comedian opened his set by saying "We gotta talk about the elephant in the room. Yeah, who’s the elephant that produced Good Will Hunting? 'Cos that shit was amazing!"

A second female comedian, Amber Rollo, took to Twitter to give her version of events.

A rep for Weinstein later released a statement saying:

"Harvey Weinstein was out with friends enjoying the music and trying to find some solace in his life that has been turned upside down. This scene was uncalled for, downright rude and an example of how due process today is being squashed by the public, trying to take it away in the courtroom too.

"As an aside — Harvey in fact suggested the woman should be allowed to talk and ask him any questions. The venue’s personnel asked the woman to leave, not Harvey’s. I would just point out that he is being treated as if he has been convicted. Accusations are, in fact, not convictions.

"Due process is still the foundation of each and every one of our civil rights in this country. Please don’t lose sight of that definitive conviction when you write. Anyone should be allowed to be there if they are acting in accordance with the norms of the space. As for the name calling, it was 100 percent not anyone in HW’s employ and not someone speaking on HW’s behalf."