The biggest controversy currently surrounding the Harvey Weinstein scandal is how many people actually knew about his behavior. It seems that his sexual harassment was an open secret in Hollywood, with there being many accounts of celebrities publicly joking about his behavior. Many actors including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been accused of keeping the producer's abusive ways under wraps.
A clear message
A 2005 video (shown below) from the red carpet of Comedy Central's "Roast of Pamela Anderson" shows Courtney Love being asked about her advice for young women joining Hollywood.
In the video, she hesitates, saying she will get libeled for sharing the advice she has. Following her hesitation, she quickly and nervously spits out her advice: Don't go to a private party if invited by Harvey Weinstein.
.@Courtney Love's advice in 2005: "If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a party at the Four Seasons, don't go." pic.twitter.com/I1Zq0WvVNM
— HannahJane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) October 14, 2017
After the video gained a lot of attention on Saturday, Love took to Twitter to speak out. "Although I wasn't one of his victims, I was eternally banned by CAA for speaking out against #HarveyWeinstein," tweeted the singer. The Creative Artists Agency is one of the most well-known agencies in Hollywood and has yet to respond to Love's claim.
Will Hollywood get better?
The Weinstein scandal has caused absolute mayhem in Hollywood. Actresses are sharing their own experiences with the producer as well as other important figures in the industry. Patricia Arquette shared a story about Oliver Stone who was angry with her when she brought her boyfriend to a screening she was invited to.
Actors like Ben Affleck have been called out for their inappropriate behavior in the past. 14 years ago, the actor appeared on MTV's "Total Request Live" and groped then co-host Hilarie Burton. Burton recalled the memory on Twitter when a fan brought it up, saying she "never forgot."
When this sparked headlines, Affleck forced out a simple apology on Twitter saying "I acted inappropriately toward Ms.
Burton and I sincerely apologize." Many Twitter users called the response "insensitive" to which Affleck had no response.
Actresses who claim they were assaulted by Weinstein like Rose McGowan have become enraged by how many people knew about his actions. She has begun using Twitter to call out actors who are claiming to "support" the victims like Ryan Gosling. She quoted his tweet announcing his support asking "How will you stand for change?
How will you stand for change? #BEBRAVE https://t.co/IJEBkdopHV
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 12, 2017
While Hollywood blows up, Harvey Weinstein has reportedly fled to Arizona for treatment. He is currently at the same facility Tiger Woods went to for sex addiction and plans to leave for a second treatment in England sometime soon.