Hollywood is a place where movie stars are quick to denounce Republicans and mock conservatives.
But when one of their own allegedly behaves in a reprehensible way, the scolders fall silent.
This hypocrisy is explored in an October 8 report in the New York Times by Brooks Barnes. “Welcome to Hollywood,” Barnes writes, “where people love to wag self-righteous fingers — over the past year, awards shows have become a platform for industry bigwigs to rail against the Trump administration — but run for cover whenever the topic casts show business in an unflattering light.”
On Thursday the Times published an investigation that found at least eight settlements paid over several decades to women who said power producer and liberal supporter Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed them. Actress Ashley Judd also accused Weinstein of inappropriate behavior. "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love" are among Weinstein's projects, and his films have won a case full of Oscars.
On Sunday night, Weinstein was fired from his film studio, the Weinstein Company. “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of the Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with the Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” the company’s board said in a statement.
According to Barnes, the collective effect of the scandal “was the equivalent of a neutron bomb going off in Hollywood, which came to a virtual standstill as stars, agents, producers, studio executives and publicists discussed almost nothing else.”
But few of those conversations are on the record.
“It’s been extremely quiet — almost radio silence,” Claudia Eller, editor of Variety, told the Times. “Part of the reason is that Hollywood always protects its own. Going back through history. And there is still a lot of fear. Is Harvey really done?”
Matthew Belloni, editor of The Hollywood Reporter, “pointed to culpability as an explanation — executives, agents and celebrities who knew or had heard that Mr. Weinstein was behaving this way toward women and did nothing.”
“It’s embarrassment that they didn’t say anything,” Mr. Belloni said.
In the past, celebrities have hammered President Trump for all kinds of reasons, including the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump boasted about women allowing him to kiss and grab them because of his fame. Hollywood also blasted Roger Ailes, the former Fox News chief, and Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, when women came forward with sexual harassment accusations against them.
Barnes notes that Bette Midler was eager to condemn Fox on Twitter: “Fox watchers turn a blind eye to predators; no morality at all,” Midler wrote. Celebrities Rosie O’Donnell, Chelsea Handler and Cher also piled on. They have all been silent about Weinstein.
A very few celebrities have stepped forward on social media to criticize Weinstein, including Seth Rogan and actress Rose McGowan.
Weinstein acknowledged in a statement that his behavior had “caused a lot of pain” and announced an “indefinite” leave from his company to seek therapy. Still, as the Times notes, his major business partners have remained silent. “Amazon Studios, which has two television series in the works with the Weinstein Company, did not respond to a query. The Viacom-owned Paramount Network, as well as A&E and Showtime, declined to comment.”
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