Harvey Weinstein's Name Will Be Removed from All Weinstein Company Shows & Movies

On October 9, Deadline reported that disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s name would be removed from all The Weinstein Company’s TV shows and movies as the studio looks for a new name. This comes just days after The Weinstein Company co-founder and the man at the centre of the New York Times exposé was fired amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment from women and actresses who have worked with him.

But, this story does not feel new, right?

You know how it goes by now: famous/influential/powerful/wealthy man is rumoured to be a total sexual predator for years, it’s Hollywood/D.C./Toronto’s worst-kept secret, and eventually an explosive feature years/decades/eternity in the making drops, blowing the whole thing wide open and revealing that said predator has allegedly been harassing/assaulting/drugging/raping women and often dishing out stacks of hush money to shut up the ones who were brave enough to come forward.

We’ve been through many iterations of a similar cycle in recent years with famous men like Bill Cosby, Jian Ghomeshi, Casey Affleck… the list goes on, and lest we forget that Woody Allen has been an accused predator for like 50 years and still manages to get Hollywood’s most prestigious actors to sign onto his films. Willingness to turn a blind eye carries a kind of currency in Hollywood, it seems.

The latest power-wielding man to join this infamous group is Weinstein, who The New York Times reports has been sexually harassing and paying off women for decades. Countless women have come forward, including actress Ashley Judd who told the newspaper: “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.” Weinstein released his own statement, kind of apologizing for his actions whilst kind of blaming them on the sexist workplace culture he came of age in (and misquoting Jay-Z’s 4:44 in the process), but it’s the disturbing—and all too common—stories that women are bravely sharing on Twitter that have our attention.

In response, writer Anne T. Donahue prompted women to share their own stories of sexual harassment.

When did you meet YOUR Harvey Weinstein? I’ll go first: I was a 17-yr-old co-op student and he insisted on massaging my shoulders as I typed

— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) October 5, 2017

The responses began pouring in—and continue to do so. Brie Larson, who has long been a vocal supporter of survivors of sexual assault, even joined the conversation, first retweeting Donahue and then sharing her own story. (And if you feel like getting really mad, read some of the responses to her tweet.)

As with Kelly Oxford’s #NotOkay Twitter campaign that went viral around this time last year (!), women are tweeting their experiences in response to Donahue’s callout in droves. Donahue has created another (somewhat) safe space for discussing these shared experiences while highlighting just how prevalent this kind of sexual harassment and assault really is, both inside and outside of the workplace.

The resounding message in response to these stories has been one of ugly familiarity and shocking disgust, as summed up perfectly in this tweet:

Since the NYT story broke, more actresses have also spoken out about the allegations, including Judd.

The woman who chose to speak about their experience of harassment by Harvey Weinstein deserve our awe. It’s not fun or easy. It’s brave.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) October 5, 2017

Anyone who does business with __ is complicit. And deep down you know you are even dirtier. Cleanse yourselves.

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 5, 2017

Heed the mantra and never forget: Women. Have. Nothing. To. Gain. And. Everything. To Lose. By. Coming. forward. https://t.co/ynKX1bcBkK

— Amber Tamblyn (@ambertamblyn) October 5, 2017

Decades of Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Harvey Weinstein via @nytimes. https://t.co/cyxRCEEbub

— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) October 5, 2017

And as with past sexual assault allegations, the conversation has shifted from the men themselves to a powerful outpouring of solidarity with survivors.

Related:
What Proposed Changes to Canada’s Sexual Assault Laws *Really* Mean
How Much Does Sexual Assault Cost Survivors? Mandi Gray Did the Math
Anne T. Donahue on Jian Ghomeshi & the Currency of Outcry