Chicken Little was right. The sky is falling and, along with it, the stars. Seemingly endless waves of sexual misconduct accusations are overwhelming A-Listers and shining a spotlight on the darkest parts of Hollywood.
The floodgates burst open after the first sexual predator was exposed: Harvey Weinstein, a film producer and former film executive. At the time of writing, eighty women have come out and accused Weinstein of offenses ranging from inappropriate to criminal.
The film mogul’s most famous accusers include other A-Listers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, showing other victims that the rich and powerful aren’t immune to this issue. Mr. Weinstein denies any and all accusations of sexual misconduct, but when eighty women have the courage to relive the traumatic scenarios and confront their abuser, something’s awry.
It’s not like this came as a huge surprise to everyone. People from Hollywood have tried to warn us about Weinstein by using under-the-radar references of his inappropriate behavior, from Seth MacFarlane’s Oscar joke to references in shows like “30 Rock” and “Entourage.”
Although it doesn’t begin to make up for his behavior, Weinstein’s wife has decided to divorce him, he’s been banned from the Producers Guild of America, and the mention of his name will no longer be associated with his work in the film industry, but instead will be associated with predatory behavior and misogyny.
Harvey Weinstein isn’t the only Hollywood icon taking a tumble. Kevin Spacey was next on the chopping block. A slew of men have accused him of sexual misconduct from when they were younger. Spacey then brushed it off as drunk behavior and came out as gay, all in a single tweet. This outraged many people like those who were offended by his so-called “apology,” the gay community, and “House of Cards” fans, like myself. Not a smart HR move by Spacey.
The exposé of these predators have started a snowball effect. Like a snowball rolling down the hill, picking up speed, and growing bigger, the list of sexual predators being exposed grows as well, especially with the use of the #MeToo campaign, an outlet for victims to publicly name their abusers on social media. Other exposed stars include Louis C. K., Andy Dick, Ed Westwick, and Matt Lauer.
Nothing excuses sexual misconduct. Not power. Not lust. Not intoxication. Not anything. The age of misogyny and any type of discrimination is over. It’s 2017. It’s time we treat everyone with respect and dignity.