Film producer Harvey Weinstein has been terminated from his own company following a barrage of sexual harassment accusations.
The decision was announced on Sunday (08Oct17) following a bombshell story published by the New York Times on Thursday (05Oct17) that revealed three decades of allegations made against him by several women who claim he made inappropriate advances towards them.
The film studio’s board of directors have released a statement detailing the decision.
“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 statement read.
The news comes following the Oscar-winner publicly declaring he was taking a leave of absence for the company and explaining his actions in a statement to Page Six.
“I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behaviour and workplaces were different,” he said. “That was the culture then.”
He added, “I also have the worst temper known to mankind, my system is all wrong, and sometimes I create too much tension. I lose it, and I am emotional, that’s why I’ve got to spend more time with a therapist and go away.”
In the New York Times piece, reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey maintain “Weinstein has reached at least eight settlements with women.” In addition, the two cite two unnamed women – who shared details of their own run ins with the 65-year-old – as sources.
