Chuck Schumer

‘Shocked and Appalled': Stars, Politicians React to Harvey Weinstein's Ouster

Reaction to the ouster of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein from the company he co-founded, The Weinstein Co., amid accusations of decades of sexual harassment:

— "Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein. Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture - including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect - so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future." — Barack Obama in a statement.

— "I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein. The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior." — Hillary Clinton in a statement.

— "The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes." — Actress Meryl Steep in a statement in which she also clarified that she was not aware of the allegations against him prior to recent reports.

— "My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward." — Actress Jennifer Lawrence in a statement.

— "Harvey's admitted to it, and it's indefensible. I've known Harvey for 20 years. He gave me my first big break as an actor in films on 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' he gave me my first big break as a director with 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.' We've had dinners, we've been on location together, we've had arguments. But I can tell you that I've never seen any of this behavior — ever." — Actor George Clooney to The Daily Beast.

— There is no excuse for sexual harassment or sexual assault — no matter who you are and no matter what profession. I applaud the strength and courage of the women who came forward and made their voices heard." — Leonardo DiCaprio on Facebook.

— "I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades. The additional allegations of assault that I read this morning made me sick. This is completely unacceptable, and I find myself asking what I can do to make sure this doesn't happen to others. We need to do better at protecting our sisters, friends, co-workers and daughters. We must support those who come forward, condemn this type of behavior when we see it and ensure there are more women in positions of power." — Actor Ben Affleck on Twitter.

— "I'm sitting here, deeply upset, acknowledging to myself that, yes, for many years, I have been aware of the vague rumors that Harvey Weinstein had a pattern of behaving inappropriately around women. Harvey has always been decent to me, but now that the rumors are being substantiated, I feel angry and darkly sad." — Actress Glenn Close in a statement to The New York Times.

— "I wish him the best struggling with his demons, but his behavior was terrible. And I wish him - just as being a fellow human being - we are all struggling with different things. And he can struggle with his and come out the other side." — Actor Jeff Bridges in an interview with The Associated Press.

— "Yes. Im sick of the media demanding only women speak up. What about the men? Perhaps many are afraid to look at their own behavior....." — Actress Jessica Chastain on Twitter.

— "I wish Harvey all the best. I hope he gets the help he needs. He's got a family. It costs you, you know? But, it's right to call it out and we're right as my industry to call it out and I hope that these revelations start to change another executive's mind when he thinks 'I'm gonna do something like this. It ain't gonna fly.'" — Actor Mark Ruffalo in an interview.

— "H Weinstein -yikes! Disgusting and creepy. So is 'leader of the free world' btw." — Actor Michael Keaton on Twitter.

— "The 'old dinosaur' explanation doesn't cut it. DECADES of using power to intimidate women for sexual gain is reprehensible and inexcusable." — Actress Emmy Rossum on Twitter.

— "Easy to think Weinstein company took swift action but this has actually been the slowest action because they always always knew." — Actress and writer Lena Dunham on Twitter.

— "Women speak out about sexual harassment + Harvey Weinstein gets fired. This is the best + most inspiring news story I have seen in a while." — Actress Heather Graham on Twitter.

— "What Harvey Weinstein did was abhorrent. He admits he did it. Why should anyone be silent in their disgust and support for his victims?" — Director Judd Apatow on Twitter.

— "Heed the mantra and never forget: Women. Have. Nothing. To. Gain. And. Everything. To Lose. By. Coming. forward." — Actress, writer and director Amber Tamblyn on Twitter.

— "I expect the Hollywood elite will remain largely silent about Weinstein. Me, I give zero (expletive) about any repercussions for condemning him." — Director, screenwriter and producer Scott Derrickson on Twitter.

— "We condemn "grab them by the (expletive)" and we condone this..." Model and actress Brooklyn Decker on Twitter.

— "Yup yup yup yup. Every day. Even from 'good guys' who brag about hiring female directors or producing POC narratives. YUP EVEN THEM" and "Yup yup yup. All the time. And if u address it seriously, u get: 'relax it was a joke.' The thing is, jokes are supposed to be, like, funny." — Actress Constance Wu on Twitter.

— "1. Coming forward about sexual abuse and coercion is scary and women have nothing to be gained personally by doing so." and "2. But through their bravery we move forward as a culture, and I thank them. Stand with @AshleyJudd @rosemcgowan and others." — Actress Julianne Moore on Twitter.

— "If there is a way to cure yourself of being a predator than I hope harvey learns what it is & shares it with the world. It's an epidemic." — Actress Patricia Arquette on Twitter.

— "I'm as appalled and repulsed by the Weinstein news as anyone with a beating heart. And forever in awe of the bravery of those who spoke out." — Playwright, composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter. 

— "I am utterly disgusted by the continuing revelations of Harvey Weinstein's horrifying and unforgivable actions. We need to collectively stand up and support victims of abuse such as the brave and inspiring women who have spoken out against him and say we hear you and believe you. That way others may be emboldened by our support to come forward and speak. But we shouldn't wait until there are any more stories like this. We, as an industry and as a society at large need to play our part. There has to be zero tolerance of any such behavior in any walk of life. We owe that to these women's bravery in coming forward" — Benedict Cumberbatch in a statement.

— "Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offences which are, of course, horrifying, and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out." — Actress Judi Dench in a statement.

— "There is no excuse for monsters like Harvey Weinstein. It's up to all of us, men and women, to speak up against sexual harassment and abuse." — Director Paul Feig on Twitter.

— "He financed the first 14 years of my career - and now I know while I was profiting, others were in terrible pain. It makes me feel ashamed." — Filmmaker Kevin Smith on Twitter.

— "In this society, most women have a Harvey Weinstein in their life. There is always a minefield you navigate when you're a woman and go through the system of Hollywood. Sometimes you are lucky enough to have champions or people who aren't interested in taking advantage of you, and sometimes you do not. I know my way around an Oscar-winning lady or two, and whenever he would come up in conversation, there was always this 'ick' or 'ugh' type of reaction. All of the women I spoke to would say that. All of them. I wondered what was up with that." — Screenwriter, director and producer Ryan Murphy at The New Yorker Festival.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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