Harvey Weinstein: Has his fall from grace and #MeToo changed anything?

Harvey Weinstein: Has his fall from grace and #MeToo changed anything?

By Alix Culbertson, news reporter

Harvey Weinstein's epic fall from grace began a year ago on 5 October 2017, kicking off one of the most important movements in Hollywood's history.

Sky News looks at what has happened with #MeToo and how the Weinstein scandal has affected the world.

How the Weinstein scandal unfolded

On 5 October 2017 several women, including actress Ashley Judd, accused the movie producer of sexual harassment in the New York Times.

Weinstein apologised for the "pain" his past behaviour caused and went on a leave of absence from The Weinstein Company.


Days later he was fired by the board of the incredibly successful company he co-founded with his brother Bob in 2005.

Then the accusations came tumbling in, as more women spoke out about allegedly being raped, assaulted and blackmailed with sex, more gained confidence to reveal their stories.

'Are you ashamed?'

The story kept on gaining momentum as some of Hollywood's top actresses spoke out, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

Weinstein's wife, fashion designer Georgina Chapman, then filed for divorce.

Five days after the initial claims Weinstein issued the first of many denials of "non-consensual sex".

On 19 October the LA police department opened an investigation into a 2013 alleged sexual assault by Weinstein.

Police in London and New York also launched investigations.

In February 2018 New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against Weinstein and The Weinstein Company, pausing plans for the company's sale as he accused colleagues of being complicit.

The Weinstein Company then sacked David Glasser, one of its top executives - he then brought a wrongful termination claim against them.

World Exclusive: Woman who alleges she was raped by Harvey Weinstein reveals video showing him behaving inappropriately with her

A $500m (£383m) deal to sell the company was agreed but it fell apart days later.

In March 2018 the New York State attorney general announced it would review the handling of a 2015 sexual abuse involving Weinstein, when he was not prosecuted.

A day later The Weinstein Company filed for bankruptcy, releasing all former employees from NDAs.

Ashley Judd then sued Weinstein, saying he made inflammatory statements about her for refusing his sexual demands, which cost her work - which he denied.

Image: Gwyneth Paltrow claimed Harvey Weinstein sexually abused her when she was 22

In May Weinstein's estranged wife broke her silence after seven months in a Vogue interview in which she said she had no idea about her husband's alleged pattern of abuse.

Two weeks later Weinstein turned himself in to the authorities, was arrested, charged with rape, committing a criminal sex act, sexual abuse and sexual misconduct from incidents with two women.

He denied the accusation, and then pleaded not guilty to three more sex crime charges.

What was Weinstein dropped from?

Eleven days after the first allegations Weinstein was ousted from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

The Academy said it wanted to separate itself from "someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues".

It also wanted to send a message that the "era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour" is over.

In the weeks after, the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, the British Film Institute and BAFTA dropped him.

Image: Harvey Weinstein was notably absent from the 2018 Oscars

Where has he been?

The disgraced film producer vanished from public view after the allegations surfaced.

He quickly signed up to a 45-day therapy programme costing $58,000 (£44,345) at Gentle Path at the Meadows, an inpatient, male-only treatment centre in Arizona.

Weinstein reportedly did not complete the programme, which has been called "sex rehab".

Image: Harvey Weinstein leaves with his lawyer Benjamin Brafman after an arraignment hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court in July

He then received treatment for anger management, nutrition and several addiction-related behaviours, according to his representative.

Since then he was been living in a luxury apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he has been spotted at restaurants - one in which he was slapped.

In July he was seen in court where he denied fresh sexual assault allegations.

#MeToo and Time's Up

The #MeToo movement started five days after the first allegations, when actress Alyssa Milano tweeted that if all women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted tweet "Me Too" then "we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem".

#MeToo was created more than 10 years before by civil rights activist Tarana Burke to highlight the sexual abuse of young women of colour.

After Milano's tweet, it quickly became a viral campaign.

Image: The #MeToo movement has gone up against the establishment

On New Year's Day this year more than 1,000 women in entertainment launched the Time's Up movement to combat sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace.

A week later, at the Golden Globes, most women wore black in a show of solidarity for Time's Up.

At the Golden Globes in January 2018 Oprah Winfrey gave a powerful speech supporting #MeToo.

Jimmy Kimmel then gave a speech at the Oscars praising the Time's Up movement and did not hold back on attacking Weinstein.

Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra spoke about #MeToo and praised survivors for coming forward.

Has #MeToo changed anything?

The movement prompted actresses and the public to speak out against their alleged attackers.

It has given many people the courage to feel unashamed about being sexually assaulted, and to bring allegations against perpetrators.

There have been protests across the world under the #MeToo banner.

But in Hollywood nobody, including Weinstein, has been prosecuted for any of the allegations which came after the film producer's downfall.

Image: Christine Blasey Ford accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her

The current Brett Kavanaugh saga is yet another example of how attitudes have not changed.

Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee was publicly accused by Dr Christine Blasey Ford of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers at a party.

She gave a powerful testimony which was followed by Mr Kavanaugh sternly denying anything untoward happened.

Image: Uma Thurman with Quentin Tarantino (l) and Harvey Weinstein af the Kill Bill: Vol 2 premiere

After he got 75 female friends to speak up for his "good character", several other women came forward to say he had sexually abused them in high school and college.

The FBI was told to investigate Dr Ford's allegations, but after just a few days it was over, it was decided Mr Kavanaugh was innocent - and the whole thing was branded a sham.

Mr Trump then mocked Dr Ford at a rally, with his team saying he was just "pointing out factual inconsistencies".

On the anniversary of the New York Times article about Weinstein, Mr Kavanaugh got enough votes in a preliminary round to become a Supreme Court Justice.

Women's rights activists vow to 'fight until the 11th hour' as Brett Kavanaugh amplifies the potency of #MeToo movement.

The others accused of sexual assault

The Weinstein accusations and #MeToo sparked off a slew of allegations against celebrities.

ABC News' former political editor Mark Halperin was accused of sexual harassment by former colleagues, which he apologised for.

Actor Anthony Rapp became the first of many to accuse Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance towards him - Spacey apologised but blamed it on being drunk.

The award-winning actor was fired from TV series House of Cards and cut from Ridley Scott's film All the Money in the World.

Image: Kevin Spacey was accused by several people of sexual abuse

Director and producer Brett Ratner was accused of sexual misconduct by actress Olivia Munn and five other women - which he "vehemently denies".

Comedian Louis CK was accused by five women of sexual misconduct, including masturbating in front of them.

He admitted to wielding power "irresponsibly".

CBS, PBS and Bloomberg host Charlie Rose was accused of sexual harassment by eight women, with all three broadcasters cutting ties with him.

He "deeply apologised" for his "inappropriate behaviour" but said he did not believe the allegations were accurate.

Minnesota radio star Garrison Keillor was fired over misconduct allegations, saying he was 75 and did not have "any interest in arguing about this".

NBC's Today show host Matt Lauer was then fired after being accused of "inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace" - which he apologised for but said some of the allegations are "untrue".

Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Recordings and head of Rush Communications, stepped down after screenwriter Jenny Lumet accused him of forcing her to have sex with him in 1991.

He apologised but said his memory of the evening is different.

Image: James Franco was accused of sexual exploitation

Democratic Senator Al Franken resigned from Congress after being accused of sexual harassment, saying it was ironic he was leaving "while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office".

Celebrity chef Mario Batali stepped away from his restaurant business and ABC TV show after being accused of sexual misconduct, which he apologised for.

Actor James Franco was accused by five women of being sexually exploited by him, to which he said: "If I've done something wrong, I will fix it."

Another actor, Aziz Ansari, was accused of sexually assaulting a female photographer, but he said he believed it was "completely consensual".

New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman, who earlier filed a case against Weinstein, resigned in May after four women accused him of physical violence.

Veteran actor Morgan Freeman was then accused by eight women of inappropriate behaviour and harassment.

Les Moonves, CBS' long-time chairman, resigned after being accused of sexual harassment for a second time, after several women accused him two months before.