Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, 62, has been accused of decades of sexual harassment by multiple female members of the entertainment industry.
An investigation by The New York Times revealed that Weinstein once asked Ashley Judd if she would enjoy watching him shower during a meeting in his room at the Peninsula Beverly Hills.
Judd also stated that she was asked to give Weinstein a massage and a shoulder rub, and to pick out his clothes for the day before watching him shower. Judd claims she said “no” several times, but that Weinstein always pushed back and bargained.
The reports made by Judd were first revealed in an interview with Variety in 2015. Though Weinstein was not openly named in the interview, which hosted multiple other actresses, the discussion concluded with the other actresses also citing experiences with the entertainment king.
At the same hotel, Weinstein has also been accused of stripping naked and making a number of his female employees give him a massage.
Weinstein also reportedly paid Rose McGowan $100,000 for an unknown incident not long after she filmed hit movie, and breakthrough role for the film “Scream.”
McGowan’s settlement is one of eight that Weinstein has reportedly paid out over the last 30 years, with one of the most recent being for Italian model Ambra Battilana in 2015. The model accused Weinstein of groping her, and putting his hand under her skirt.
Weinstein has not denied any of the claims made by the Times, instead saying: “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,” adding that he is now taking a leave of absence from his company to deal with these issues.
He plans to work through his issues, and has open admitted that he has a problem.
Source (Daily Mail)