Accusations of Hollywood Sexual Misconduct Continue to Surface

Disclaimer: This article covers sexual assault and sexual harassment, and may be uncomfortable for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.

On October 5, 2017, sexual assault reports were brought up against former film mogul Harvey Weinstein. They were the primary inspiration for the #MeToo campaign, which allows women to share their experiences as survivors of sexual assault and/or harassment in both the workplace and outside.

Prominent figures such as Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, George H.W. Bush, Ben Affleck, and Louis C.K. have all admitted to sexual assault and harassment charges against them; they stand alongside nearly fifty other men who have been accused since the start of the “Weinstein Effect” less than five months ago.

The movement has also popularized the Time’s Up campaign, an advocate group and legal defense fund for survivors of sexual misconduct in the workplace. At the 75th Golden Globe awards, many male celebrities wore pins with the Time’s Up logo to show solidarity; two of those men—James Franco and Aziz Ansari—were called out on Twitter that same week by women accusing them of sexual coercion.

At 7:43 PM on January 7, Sarah Tither-Kaplan—an actor who had worked with Franco in several of his recent films—tweeted how ironic it was that the director was supporting Time’s Up when he had sexually exploited her and other cast members on multiple occasions. Later, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Tither-Kaplan reported that he had used his status as a famous director to force them to strip naked and perform unscripted sex scenes. Since her initial tweet, four more women have come forward to corroborate the account and have detailed separate encounters of their own. Two days after, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Franco promised to apologize to the women for any discomfort they may have felt, yet did not admit to the allegations.

James Franco was not the only Hollywood figure called out for wearing the pin. On January 13, in an article published by Babe, a women’s support magazine, a photographer going by the alias “Grace” recounted how Aziz Ansari coerced her to perform sexual acts despite her indications that she was uncomfortable. The actor, a vocal enforcer of the neofeminist movement, initially claimed that he had considered everything to be consensual at the time. Later, in a statement to People magazine, Ansari said, “Upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable…I was surprised and concerned.” He went on to reaffirm his support for the movement as well as his appreciation for all of the women coming forward.

After the latest two accusations came out, especially the statements against Ansari, a barrage of open criticism against the #MeToo campaign started. Former supporters began to question the validity and importance of the recent claims that were made. On January 11, Liam Neeson said in an interview with The Late Late Show, “There’s a little bit of a witch hunt happening [in Hollywood].” Neeson expressed remorse at how “there are famous people that are being accused of touching some girl’s knee or something, and suddenly they’re being dropped from their program.” Newscasters and celebrities are stating that many women are overreacting and innocent men are being blamed. Following Babe’s article accusing Ansari, HLN TV host Ashleigh Banfield shared an open letter she wrote to Grace, writing, “By your own clear description, this wasn’t a rape, nor was it a sexual assault. Your sexual encounter was ‘unpleasant’ at best…So what exactly is your beef? What you have done is appalling. You went to the press with your story of a bad date, and you have potentially destroyed this man’s career over it.” More conservative media outlets state that this is the end of the #MeToo movement.

Yet many women still show support for the continued outpouring of personal accounts. On January 17, Samantha Bee, the only major female late night host, spoke out against the backlash towards recent allegations on her talk show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. She agreed that women know there is a difference between “a rapist, a workplace harasser, and an ‘Aziz Ansari,’ [but] that doesn’t mean we have to be happy about any of them.” Bee, along with many other allies on Twitter, encourage women to keep coming forward. The TV host went on to say, “it doesn’t have to be rape to ruin your life, and it doesn’t have to ruin your life to be worth speaking out about. Any kind of sexual harassment or coercion is unacceptable.”

Make sure to always check in with your partner during any type of sexual activity; silence is not compliance. The Women’s Resource Center has trained sexual assault advocates who can be reached at (315) 229-5250. The number for the 24-hour Advocates sexual violence hotline is (315) 244-5466.