The Weinstein Effect Is Finally Calling Out Powerful Men As Predators

Photographer Terry Richardson has faced allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior toward models on set for years. Marie Claire recently published a list of allegations against Richardson that range from 2001 to present time — and feature claims made by 15 different individuals. Many have accused Richardson of asking them for sexual favors, undressing on set, and pressuring them into taking photographs they weren't comfortable with, among other allegedly inappropriate behaviors. Richardson has denied many of these allegations in the past, publishing a lengthy letter in the Huffington Post in 2014 to address them:

I collaborated with consenting adult women who were fully aware of the nature of the work, and as is typical with any project, everyone signed releases. I have never used an offer of work or a threat of rebuke to coerce someone into something that they did not want to do.

On Tuesday, Condé Nast International, which publishes several major fashion magazines, announced in an internal email to employees that it would no longer be publishing any of Richardson's work. The company did not cite a reason for the decision, but many have pointed out it comes in the wake of the Weinstein scandal. Richardson has not responded publicly to Condé Nast's decision.

Price is a former executive at Amazon Studios. He resigned from his position after being accused of sexual harassment by Isa Hackett, a producer on the Amazon series The Man in the High Castle. Price has not commented publicly on the allegations against him.

Hackett claims Price "repeatedly and insistently propositioned" her at a San Diego Comic-Con in 2015, which she attended to promote her show. According to Deadline, Hackett had filed a claim against Price in 2015, but Amazon took no action against him at the time.

Wieseltier, a writer, served as the literary editor of the New Republic from 1983 to 2014. A new journal helmed by Wieseltier, called Idea, was scheduled to debut this month. However, following the emergence of allegations of sexual misconduct by Wieseltier from some of his former colleagues at the New Republic, the journal's funders pulled out and the publication was scrapped. The New York Times reported that while Wieseltier did not respond to the specific allegations against him, he did offer an apology via email on Tuesday:

For my offenses against some of my colleagues in the past I offer a shaken apology and ask for their forgiveness. ... The women with whom I worked are smart and good people. I am ashamed to know that I made any of them feel demeaned and disrespected. I assure them I will not waste this reckoning.

According to former New Republic staffers who spoke with Politico on the condition of anonymity, Wieseltier often allegedly made sexually-charged comments in the workplace. Moreover, an article in The Atlantic claimed that all of the women journalists interviewed for the article had their own "Leon stories" which included "everything from being called 'sweetie' in the workplace to unwanted touching, kissing, groping, and other sexual advances."

James Toback is a writer-director who has long had a reputation for allegedly engaging in inappropriate behavior toward women. On Sunday, these allegations reached new levels after the Los Angeles Times reported that 38 women have accused Toback of sexual harassment. Toback denied the allegations to the paper, saying that he had never met any of the women making the claims or, if he had met them, it "was for five minutes and (he had) no recollection." He also noted that for the last two decades it would have been "biologically impossible" to engage in the behavior alleged by the women, because he has several health problems.

The number of women accusing Toback of allegedly inappropriate behavior has since swelled to over 200 — and includes famous names like Julianne Moore and Natalie Morales. Over the weekend, Toback’s longtime agent, Jeff Berg, ended their professional relationship.

Following the publication of the many sexual assault and harassment accusations against Harvey Weinstein, allegations against Ben Affleck also began to emerge. A TRL episode from 2003 in which Affleck allegedly groped One Tree Hill star Hillarie Burton's breasts made the news recently, after Burton — who was 19 at the time — tweeted that she hadn't forgotten about the incident. She reminded the public that she "was a kid" when it happened. Affleck responded to Burton on Twitter and apologized for his actions, saying "I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize."

Writer and makeup artist Annamarie Tendler also recently accused Affleck of allegedly groping her at a Golden Globes party in 2014. Affleck has not responded to these allegations.

Savino is the creator of Nickelodeon's animated series, The Loud House. According to the website Cartoon Brew, up to 12 women have accused Savino of alleged sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, and threats of retaliation. The website noted that some of the reports dated back at least 10 years. On Tuesday, Savino responded to the allegations on Facebook, apologizing for his behavior:

I am deeply sorry and ashamed. ... Although it was never my intention, I now understand that the impact of my actions and communications created an unacceptable environment. At every stage of my career, I have sought to uplift my colleagues and cultivate a culture of respect. In this objective, I have failed. I should have known better, I should have acted better, and this has been a difficult but valuable lesson. I have nothing but the deepest respect for the bravery of the women who have spoken out, trying to create an environment in which they can thrive to their fullest potential.

Nickelodeon fired Savino last Thursday.

Besh is a celebrity chef in New Orleans and co-owner of the Besh Restaurant Group. On Sunday, New Orleans' Times-Picayune published an article alleging that Besh's restaurants fostered a culture of sexual harassment, citing the claims of 25 women who worked for Besh. Several accusations of alleged sexual assault and harassment were also levied against Besh directly. He responded to these allegations in a statement, saying:

Two years ago, I deeply hurt those I love thoughtlessly engaging in a consensual relationship with one member of my team. ... I alone am entirely responsible for my moral failings. This is not the way the head of a company like ours should have acted, let alone a husband and father.

The 25 women who worked for Besh alleged that there were incidents of male bosses inappropriately touching female employees without their consent and/or making inappropriate comments about their appearance, among other behaviors. One woman also claims that Besh reportedly encouraged her to drink heavily during a work trip and then came to her hotel room and allegedly engaged in sexual behavior with her while she was highly inebriated.

Raymond Landry, Besh Restaurant Group's counsel, also addressed the broader claims against Besh's company:

We have learned recently that a number of women in our company feel that we have not had a clear mechanism in place to allow them to voice concerns about receiving the respect they deserve on the job. I want to assure all of our employees that if even a single person feels this way, it is one person too many and that ends now.

On Tuesday, Besh stepped down from his company.

Signore, the creator of "Screen Junkies" and the “Honest Trailers,” was fired by Defy Media on Oct. 8, several hours after Weinstein's firing was announced. At least five women accused Signore of sexual harassment, and one woman accused Signore of attempted sexual assault. Signore has not commented publicly on his firing or on the allegations against him. Bustle has reached out for comment.

In announcing Signore's firing, Defy Media noted, "There is simply no justification for this egregious and intolerable behavior."

Following the public emergence of allegations against his brother, Bob himself has also been accused of sexual harassment. Amanda Segal, an executive producer of Mist, said Bob allegedly frequently made unwanted romantic overtures toward her, about which she filed official complaints. A representative for Bob denied that he engaged in inappropriate behavior toward Segal, telling Variety,

Bob Weinstein had dinner with Ms. Segel in LA in June 2016. He denies any claims that he behaved inappropriately at or after the dinner. It is most unfortunate that any such claim has been made.

Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics team doctor, was accused of sexual assault and harassment by female gymnasts prior to the emergence of the Weinstein allegations. The gymnasts claim that Nassar would allegedly assault them under the guise of performing "medical treatments." Nassar has never commented publicly on these allegations.

According to Time, Nassar has been accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of athletes and is currently named in hundreds of lawsuits related to this alleged misconduct. He is also currently in jail awaiting sentencing on unrelated charges, having pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges after the FBI found thousands of images of child pornography in his home.

Further attention was brought to the allegations against Nassar during the #MeToo campaign, in which Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney said that Nassar had allegedly sexually abused her from the age of 13 through when she was an athlete at the Olympics in 2016. Nassar, who is currently in jail, has not commented on Maroney's allegations.

Maroney made the allegations against Nassar on social media, saying:

I was molested by Dr. Larry Nassar, the team doctor for the US Women’s National Gymnastics Team, and Olympic Team. ... Dr. Nassar told me that I was receiving 'medically necessary treatment that he had been performing on patients for over 30 years. It started when I was 13 years old, at one of my first National Team training camps, in Texas, and it didn’t end until I left the sport.

The film director Roman Polanski has long been accused of sexually assaulting women and children — and was once convicted of assault. The director was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, but he fled the United States for his native France before he received his sentence. This month, at the Zurich Film Festival, Polanski commented on his conviction, saying, "As far as what I did: It's over. I pleaded guilty. I went to jail. I came back to the United States to do it, people forget about that, or don't even know. I then was locked up here [in Zurich] after this festival. So in the sum, I did about four or five times more than what was promised to me.”

Vox also reports that four additional women have accused Polanksi of allegedly sexually assaulted them when they were children. Polanski has not commented on these allegations.

The most recent woman to make a claim against Polanski, Marianne Barnard, says that Polanski allegedly molested her on a beach when she was just 10 years old. Polanski has not responded publicly to Barnard's allegations. Barnard said she was inspired to tell her story after actresses spoke out publicly against Weinstein and others in the entertainment industry.

In the wake of the allegations against Weinstein, Stone was accused of allegedly groping an actress' breast at a party in the 1990s. The actress, Carrie Stevens, wrote on Twitter on Oct. 13, "When I heard about Harvey, I recalled Oliver walking past me [and] grabbing my boob as he walked out the front door of a party [in the 90s]." Stone has not responded to or commented on Stevens' allegation.

Actress Patricia Arquette also claimed that Stone engaged in inappropriate behavior toward her. Stone has not commented on these claims. Arquette wrote in a series of tweets:

Years ago Oliver Stone wanted me to do a movie. ... We talked about the Material [sic] which was very sexual. The meeting was professional. Then I received from him long stem jungle roses. It's not uncommon to receive flowers but something about them felt weird. I ignored it then his assistant called to make sure it got them. I thanked them. He then invited me to a screening of Natual [sic] Born Killers. ... Something felt weird so I asked my boyfriend to go with me. ... The room was packed. Oliver stopped me coming out of the bathroom. He said "Why did you bring him?" I said "Why is it a problem I brought him? It shouldn't be a problem. Think about THAT Oliver." Anyway never heard about the movie again [and] didn't care to.

Rupert Myers is the former political correspondent for British GQ. He was fired by the magazine last week after a journalist tweeted about being allegedly harassed by Myers — and that she had heard other similar stories of alleged harassment. The journalist claimed that Myers sent her a direct message on Twitter to say he was sorry following the publication of her tweets. Myers has not commented publicly on the allegations.

A British GQ spokesperson told Fox News, “Having been made aware of some allegations against Rupert Myers, British GQ can confirm that it has terminated its freelance agreement with him, with immediate effect. He is no longer British GQ’s Political Correspondent."

A freelance journalist named Sam Kriss was suspended from the U.K.'s Labour Party after a woman alleged on Facebook (as part of the #MeToo campaign) that he had forcibly kissed her and harassed her. Kriss responded to the allegations against him in a post on Medium and apologized, saying, "My behaviour was absolutely unacceptable, beneath both me and especially the person involved, and there’s no excuse for it. I’ve apologised privately to her, and I’m apologising, publicly, now."

In suspending Kriss from the Labour Party, a spokesman said: “The Labour Party is aware of complaints about Sam Kriss. The party takes all complaints seriously and will take all appropriate action in line with the party’s rulebook and procedures.”

Kath, a Canadian musician — his real name is Claudio Palmieri — was accused of sexual assault by his former bandmate, Alice Glass, with whom he formed the duo Crystal Castles. Glass left the band in 2014, but, this week, gave much more insight into the reason why she left, citing Kath's allegedly abusive behavior toward her. Kath vehemently denies Glass' allegations against him and shared a statement addressing the matter, saying he was "outraged and hurt" by the claims.

"Her story is pure fiction and I am consulting my lawyers as to my legal options," Kath said. "Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice."

Glass shared her allegations against Kath at length on her website, saying:

Claudio was very manipulative towards me. ... Over a period of many months, he gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed. It wasn’t always consensual and he remained sober whenever we were together. ... As we started to gain attention, he began abusively and systematically targeting my insecurities and controlling my behaviour: my eating habits, who I could talk to, where I could go, what I could say in public, what I was allowed to wear.

Two actresses have accused former president George H.W. Bush of groping them: Heather Lind, who claimed Bush Sr. touched her "from behind from his wheelchair," and Jordana Grolnick, who claimed the elder Bush had made a joke about his favorite magician being "David Cop-a-feel" while touching her inappropriately.

In a statement, the former president's spokesperson said: "At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures. To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely.”

Halperin is an established political commentator and co-wrote the Game Change bestsellers, which extensively covered the 2008 and 2012 presidential races. Five women claim Halperin sexually harassed them while he worked at ABC News, according to CNN. The allegations have led to both NBC and MSNBC severing ties with Halperin.

Halperin denied some of the specific claims to CNN, but noted: "During this period, I did pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me." He added:

I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain. For that, I am deeply sorry and I apologize. Under the circumstances, I'm going to take a step back from my day-to-day work while I properly deal with this situation.