Last night, Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was reportedly fired from his position at the Weinstein Company by board directors, following allegations of sexual harassment.
There are women that have spoken out against him, of course, and it was their allegations that provided grounds for the New York Times investigation. But besides Ashley Judd and a couple of others, critique of Weinstein's behaviour has largely been on condition of anonymity.
After the scandal broke, there hasn't been much noise coming from the film industry's big players, save for the odd cryptic tweet. The silence has been perceived to be, as Rose McGowan put it 'deafening.'
But now, Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep - who worked with Weinstein on films such as August: Osage County and The Iron Lady - has released a lengthy statement calling out the 65-year-old's alleged wrongdoings.
In a statement sent to HuffPost exclusively by Streep's longtime publicist Leslee Dart, Streep said:
The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes.
One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew. Harvey supported the work fiercely, was exasperating but respectful with me in our working relationship, and with many others with whom he worked professionally. I didn't know about these other offences: I did not know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues; I did not know about his having meetings in his hotel room, his bathroom, or other inappropriate, coercive acts. And If everybody knew, I don't believe that all the investigative reporters in the entertainment and the hard news media would have neglected for decades to write about it.
The behaviour is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game.
Last week, the American film producer made a public apology after the New York Times reported a number of allegations made against him.
Weinstein's lawyer has refuted many of the allegations against him, stating them as 'patently false.'
However, in a statement, Weinstein has also apologised for at least some of his past behaviour, saying: 'I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it.'
It's believed the producer's brother Bob Weinstein, a co-chairman at The Weinstein Company, and chief operating officer David Glasser will lead the company in his absence.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
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