When the New York Times published a scathing investigative report detailing Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual assault and harassment against numerous women, no one could have predicted the massive impact it would have – after all, allegations of sexual misconduct amongst celebrities and those in the giant entity that is the Hollywood business world generally fly under the radar without consequence. However, the Times’ report sparked a conversation on rape culture and the stigma of sexual abuse and harassment, encouraging victims to come forward with their #MeToo stories. The article also unleashed a flood of accusations not just against Weinstein, but against a number of other powerful public figures. Some of the recently accused are listed below:
1. Mark Halperin
After a CNN report in which five women accused journalist Mark Halperin of sexual harassment and assault during his time at ABC News, a number of other women came forward which brought the number up to at least a dozen. One women accused him of masturbating in front of her, while another said that Halperin once pushed her against a restaurant window and threatened to harm her career when she denied his advances. Though Halperin has denied the accusations of physical harassment and masturbation, he released a statement apologizing for his “outrageous” actions and stated, “I can never do enough to make up for the harm I caused. I will be spending time with my family and friends, as I work to make amends and contributions both large and small.” Halperin’s contract with MSNBC was terminated on October 30 after an investigation triggered by the accusations.
2. James Toback
On October 22, the LA Times released a report detailing the loathsome accounts of 38 women who stated that they had been sexually harassed by director and writer James Toback. By October 27, more than 270 other women had called the Times to report similar stories. Those who accused Toback (including actresses Rachel McAdams and Selma Blair) described terrifying encounters in which Toback would approach them and offer career advancement in return for sexual favors, masturbate, or even threaten them with death if they told anyone.
3. Kevin Spacey
Actor Anthony Rapp shocked the public with accusations that he was groped in 1986 by House of Cards star Kevin Spacey, who was then 26; Rapp was just 14 years old at the time. Spacey responded by issuing a public statement in which he offered Rapp “the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” and then came out as gay. This drew immense criticism from celebrities and citizens alike; many viewed Spacey’s announcement as a way to deflect from the severity of accusations that he sexually assaulted a minor, while others felt that the response equated homosexuality with pedophilia.
Soon after, however, in an personal essay published on Buzzfeed on November 4, Harry Dreyfuss (son of actor Richard Dreyfuss) described being groped by Spacey at the age of 18. The alleged assault took place during a script reading for the 2008 play Complicit. A number of other actors, producers, and anonymous sources (all of them male) have come forward with similar stories, all of which involve accounts of non-consensual groping, explicit verbal requests, and other forms of physical or verbal harassment. Spacey’s publicist said in a statement on November 1 that Spacey denies the accusations, while Netflix has suspended production of House of Cards while it investigates the allegations against Spacey.
4. Bill O’Reilly
On October 21, the New York Times wrote that in January of 2017, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly settled a $32 million sexual harassment suit filed by Fox legal analyst Lis Weihl. O’Reilly was fired from Fox News in April of 2017. Though a number of harassment suits against O’Reilly were made public during this time period, the settlement amount for Reis’s case was only recently made public. According to the Times, sexual harassment settlements against O’Reilly—at least, those which have been made public— add up to around $45 million.
5. Roy Price
Just weeks after the Weinstein reports, Amazon T.V. producer Isa Hackett came forward with her own account of sexual harassment at the hands of Amazon top executive Roy Price. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the ‘Man in the High Castle’ producer described harrowing experiences in 2015 in which Price—the head of Amazon Studios— repeatedly propositioned her with sex and lewd comments despite Hackett’s insistence that she has a wife with children and was not interested. Price resigned from his position just days after the article was published.