The Weinstein Ripple Effect
On October 5, 2017, The New York Times published a series of allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein from women who claimed that he sexually harassed them. The events go back nearly three decades, and include more than 70 women. This led to his firing 3 days later by the Weinstein Company’s board. Since then, there have been new allegations made against others of Hollywood’s biggest names almost every day. All of which have prompted the movement of #MeToo, being tweeted more than a half a million times. It has opened up a national conversation about sexual harassment and assault, and helped others to come forward with their stories and experiences.
This is an (incomplete) list of people who have been accused of sexual misconduct after the Harvey Weinstein allegations.
Former Today Show host Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer was fired from NBC News after an employee filed a complaint about "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” The alleged incident took place at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Lauer's co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, and colleague Hoda Kotb broke the news to viewers the following Wednesday. Later in the day, Variety published a story containing additional sexual harassment allegations against him, which cited accounts from three unnamed women. He responded, “There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt I am truly sorry.”
Former President George H.W. Bush
Roslyn Corrigan is the sixth woman since October 24th to accuse George Bush of publicly touching her inappropriately without her consent. She was sixteen years old when she got a chance to meet him, and said the incident happened while they were being photographed next to each other. The event occurred in November 2003 at the Woodlands, Texas, office of the Central
Intelligence Agency, where her father gathered along with others to meet Bush. She said that to this day, some of the responses she gets to her story are dismissive but she said she feels confident enough to speak out after seeing other women come forward, and hopes more will do so after hearing her account. Five other women have also made similar claims against Bush in recent weeks.
Former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter
Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has been accused of raping former pop singer Melissa Schuman 15 years ago. Schuman shared the allegations in a blog post earlier in November. In the post, she described an incident that occurred when she was 18 and Carter was 22. He denied the allegations in a statement given to CNN. Saying he was, "shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman's accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally."
Singer Melanie Martinez
Former contestant on The Voice, Melanie Martinez, is denying a rape accusation made by another female singer. The event allegedly happened "one night during a sleepover”, after the two had smoked weed. Timothy Heller (the female singer), ended her twitter post describing the assault like this, "Girls can rape girls. Best friends can rape best friends. Friendship does not equal consent. Silence doesn't equal consent. I wish it wasn't so hard for me to convince myself of these things." Melanie replied saying that she was, "horrified and saddened by the statements and story told tonight by Timothy Heller [her female friend]...She never said no to what we chose to do together. And although we parted ways, I am sending her love and light always.”
Rapper XXXTentacion
Jahseh Onfroy (aka XXXTentacion) has been accused by his former girlfriend, of domestic violence. According to an arrest report, the rapper allegedly "punched and kicked" his girlfriend,
who was pregnant at the time. He was later charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a trial is set to begin on December 11.
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest released a statement on Friday, November 17, denying sexual misconduct claims made by a former wardrobe stylist. The allegation was made by a stylist who worked at E! News, but the details of her accusation have not been made public. Seacrest said in a statement to U.S. Weekly, “Recently, someone that worked as a wardrobe stylist for me nearly a decade ago at E! News, came forward with a complaint suggesting I behaved inappropriately toward her. If I made her feel anything but respected, I am truly sorry.”
Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick has been accused by three women of sexual assault. Actress Kristina Cohen posted to Facebook on November 6, claiming that she was raped by him. Former actress Aurélie Wynn did the same on the following November 8, and on November 14, Rachel Eck came forward saying that he had “aggressively groped her” in 2014. Ed denied the two social media allegations. In response to Kristina he tweeted, “I do not know this woman. I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape." After Aurélie came forward he responded to her, “It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct. I have absolutely not, and I am cooperating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible." He has not yet commented on the allegations by Rachel.
Warner Brother’s Producer Andrew Kreisberg
Andrew Kreisberg, who served as a co-showrunner for both Supergirl and The Flash, and executive producer for both Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, has been accused of sexual harassment by 19 different men and women. Each person chose to remain anonymous, and did
not want to speak on the record for fear of retaliation. Warner Brothers suspended production on the various television shows on Friday, November 10. Kreisberg told Variety, "I have made comments on women’s appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized." Warner Bros. TV Group stated to CNN, “We have suspended Mr. Kreisberg and are conducting an internal investigation. We take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and are committed to creating a safe working environment for our employees and everyone involved in our productions.”
Head of Pixar and Walt Disney Animations Studio John Lasseter
Disney said that animation chief John Lasseter would be taking a six-month leave of absence, amid sexual misconduct allegations. Over a period of years, he had made unwanted contact with a number of female colleagues and collaborators. An unnamed Pixar employee added saying that John is known for "grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes." It remains unclear whether Disney could extend his break or make it permanent. He responded, “It’s been brought to my attention that I have made some of you feel disrespected or uncomfortable. That was never my intent. To anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape, or form. No matter how benign my intent, everyone has the right to set their own boundaries and have them respected.”
Former U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar
More than 100 athletes have filed lawsuits against Nassar and USA Gymnastics, alleging that the organization did not address reports of sexual abuse adequately. These include America’s second most decorated female Olympic gymnast, Aly Raisman, as well as McKayla Maroney, her teammate on the squad that won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, and various Michigan State University athletes, where Nassar had been employed. Raisman claimed in a 60 Minutes interview that aired on November 12, 2017, that the former USA Gymnastics doctor sexually abused her. “He was always, always, always on my side,” says Raisman. “He was always that person who would stick up for me and make me feel like he had my back. The more I think about it, the more I realize how twisted he was, how he manipulated me to make me think that he
had my back when he didn’t.” Maroney also accused the former doctor of sexual misconduct and harassment, saying he abused her for years, beginning when she was 13 years old. Nassar is already facing 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and could receive a sentence of life in prison after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges in July. He is currently awaiting sentencing in Michigan, and has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually abusing former patients and a family friend.