Harvey Weinstein. Photo courtesy of AV Club.
Summary: The wife of Harvey Weinstein is leaving him after he was accused of sexual harassment by almost twenty women.
Seventeen women have come forward so far to accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, or in some cases, sexual assault. The disgraced mogul has since been removed from the company he created, the Weinstein Company; and numerous former friends such as George Clooney and Meryl Streep have publicly condemned his actions.
When The New York Times broke the sexual harassment story last week, Weinstein said that his wife Georgina Chapman would stand beside him during this tough time. However, she had different plans. On Tuesday, the fashion designer, 41, announced that she was separating from her husband, 65. The couple has three children together.
“My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time,” Chapman said to People.
A spokesperson for Weinstein said that he planned to go to a rehab center in Europe but so far he is staying in a Los Angeles hotel, People reported.
Several high-profile actresses such as Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie have said that Weinstein inappropriately came onto them early on in their careers. Actress Asia Argento told The New Yorker that Weinstein had raped her when she was 21.
Weinstein married Chapman in 2007, and their partnership was lucrative to the fashion designer who owns the brand Marchesa. Many of Weinstein’s female associates wore Marchesa on the red carpet, which elevated its status. However, after the scandal, the Weinstein touch went from gold to tar; and it was announced recently that Helzberg Diamonds was terminating its business relationship with Marchesa due to the scandal.
Weinstein has already addressed the news of his separation, and he said that he supports his wife’s decision.
“I support her decision. I am in counseling and perhaps, when I am better, we can rebuild. Over the last week, there has been a lot of pain for my family that I take responsibility for,” Weinstein said. “I sat down with my wife Georgina, who I love more than anything, and we discussed what was best for our family. We discussed the possibility of a separation and I encouraged her to do what was in her heart. I understand, I love her and I love our children and hopefully, when I am better, I will be in their lives again.”
Before the scandal, there were rumors of Weinstein’s impropriety. Rose McGowan had hinted on Twitter that she was raped by a Hollywood executive who later purchased her film, and Seth McFarlane had made a joke at an award show about actresses pretending to be attracted to Weinstein in order to work in Hollywood.
But while Weinstein’s predatory behavior was an open secret, he thrived for three decades, making several Oscar-winning films like Shakespeare in Love and television shows like Project Runway.
Weinstein has apologized for his behavior but he denies any non-consensual sex. Last week, he said that he planned to sue The New York Times for running its piece without giving him enough time for a rebuttal. The Times said he was given 48 hours and that their reporting was accurate. Ronan Farrow who wrote The New York piece about Weinstein’s behavior claimed that Weinstein had also threatened to sue him.
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