Bill O’Reilly was the star attraction of Fox News Channel’s prime time lineup for something like 15 years. Then reports surfaced that he was engaged in ongoing acts of sexual harrasment and that a number of seven-figure settlements had been reached to shut the accusers up.
Mr. O’Reilly vociferously denied these allegations and continues to do so. But Fox dumped him anyway.
This leads to Harvey Weinstein who, with his brother, Bob, have produced some of the most worthwhile movies my wife and I have seen for a good many years.
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times – which is hardly what you’d call anti-Weinstein territory (he shares the paper’s leftward political views) -have written a disastrous piece on him, with accusations that leave Mr. O’Reilly in the dust.
Here is just a tiny taste:
An investigation by The New York Times found previously undisclosed allegations against Mr. Weinstein stretching over nearly three decades, documented through interviews with current and former employees and film industry workers, as well as legal records, emails and internal documents from the businesses he has run, Miramax and the Weinstein Company.
During that time, after being confronted with allegations including sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact, Mr. Weinstein has reached at least eight settlements with women, according to two company officials speaking on the condition of anonymity. Among the recipients, The Times found, were a young assistant in New York in 1990, an actress in 1997, an assistant in London in 1998, an Italian model in 2015 and Ms. O’Connor shortly after, according to records and those familiar with the agreements.
I again urge you to use the link I’ve provided and read the entire piece. There is much, much more than the snippet posted above.
Now, what is the fallout going to be?
While no one can predict the future, it is a very good bet that Weinstein’s company is finished in its current form.
As a moviegoer who appreciates intelligent, worthwhile material, this is terribly saddening to me.
As, I hope, a decent human being, if the allegations against Weinstein are true, I couldn’t be happier about the wood being put to the serial pig he must be.
It will be more than a little interesting to see how this plays out.
Oh, one other thing, in the form of a personal note to Jodi Kantor: a couple of years ago my wife and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon with “Zsa Zsa”. She must have been quite a pistol as a younger woman.
I don’t expect anyone but Ms. Kantor to know what that’s all about. But I’m 100% sure she does, and I hope it brings a smile to her face.
