As American citizens went about their daily work on October 8, 2017, one headline dominated the media. Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was fired from his own company on account of sexual misconduct following the publication of a damning New York Times article on Weinstein’s behavior. In the weeks that followed, the name Harvey Weinstein became synonymous with sexual assault and predatory behavior as countless women came out to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment in the past.
The public looked on in shock as actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong’o, and Cara Delevingne came forward with their accounts of run-ins with Weinstein, exposing the extent of his sexual deviance.
While these women shared their accounts, their fellow celebrities took to Twitter to issue statements of shock at Weinstein’s behavior and support for his victims. However, for many people in the Hollywood industry, news of his behavior was not surprising. After decades of getting away with his predatory behavior, Harvey Weinstein was finally getting his comeuppance.
As the numbers of Weinstein’s accusers continued to grow, Georgina Chapman-his third wife-left him. Film associations such as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America revoked Weinstein’s membership. Politicians that Weinstein had supported in the past such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama also openly condemned his behavior. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, everyone had turned their back on Harvey Weinstein.
Amidst the turmoil, actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter, asking women who had been sexually assaulted to share their stories using the hashtag “#metoo”. In a day, over 59,000 women had left comments and shared their stories of rape and sexual assault, shining a disturbing light on the American society and rape culture.
Also, following Weinstein’s expulsion from the Hollywood elite, numerous high-profile men in different industries such as producers and directors like Andrew Kreisberg, Brett Ratner, and Chris Savino, comedians and actors like Louis C.K, Kevin Spacey, and George Takei have all been ousted as sexual predators.
Many of the accused predators have been fired from their various jobs and or removed from projects that they were involved in. Kevin Spacey, for example, who was accused of preying on countless young men has been pulled from Netflix’s “House of Cards,” in which he played the lead role and other ongoing projects.
