Celebs use social media to speak out against Weinstein, sexual harassment

After powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was outed by The New York Times for three decades of sexual harassment allegations, social media flooded with high-profile responses ranging from condemnations to confessions.

While many women, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, opened up to journalists, others found a more natural medium in the form of social media.

This is how celebrities used their own platforms to speak out.

Rose McGowan

Actress Rose McGowan, best known for her roles in Scream and Charmed, has become the figurehead of the online movement as one of the first women to admit she signed a settlement after an “incident” in a hotel room.

McGowan has previously spoken out about her own traumatic rape experience by a Hollywood exec, and many have made the tie between the two reports.

because it’s been an open secret in Hollywood/Media & they shamed me while adulating my rapist. #WhyWomenDontReport

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 14, 2016

One tweet implies that she is only now able to call him a rapist because others have come forward.

Now am I allowed to say rapist https://t.co/95Ze9BixCT

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

Now, McGowan is using Twitter to call on The Weinstein Company’s entire board to resign, as she alleges they all knew about his harassment and remained silent and complicit.

TWC You don’t get to change your company name & be done with it. Every man there has the blood of sorrow on their hands. You are dirty.

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

Ben Affleck

One of the actors McGowan has directly called out is Ben Affleck, whom she claims knew exactly what was going on.

@benaffleck “GODDAMNIT! I TOLD HIM TO STOP DOING THAT” you said that to my face. The press conf I was made to go to after assault. You lie.

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

The “lie” she is referring to is Affleck’s Facebook post that condemned Weinstein’s actions.

“I find myself asking what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to others,” he wrote. “We need to do better at protecting our sisters.”

The post fell flat, though, as Affleck’s own brother, Oscar winner Casey Affleck, has had his own share of sexual harassment allegations levelled at him — a topic which Ben Affleck has publicly avoided.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan is one of the few celebrities who have come out in support of Weinstein. In an Instagram Story, Lohan said she felt “very bad for Harvey Weinstein right now”.

“I think Georgina [Chapman] should take a stand,” she said of Weinstein’s wife, who has announced she is leaving him. “He’s never wronged me or done anything to me. We’ve done several movies together and so I think everyone needs to stop. I think it’s wrong, so stand up.”

Twitter did not take kindly to her support.

Bygone drug addict Lindsay Lohan…defending Harvey Weinstein bc he didnt assault her is like defending OJ Simpson bc he didn’t murder me

— Zendaya’s ShoesRule (@myfeetonfleek) October 11, 2017

Terry Crews

Moving away from Weinstein and onto the broader problem that is sexual harassment in Hollywood, Terry Crews used Twitter to detail how he kept quiet about his own harassment for fear of how others would react.

This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME. (1/Cont.)

— terrycrews (@terrycrews) October 10, 2017

In the thread, Crews details how an executive once grabbed his “privates” in front of his wife. 

I decided not 2 take it further becuz I didn’t want 2b ostracized— par 4 the course when the predator has power n influence. (9/cont.)

— terrycrews (@terrycrews) October 10, 2017

Who’s going 2 believe you? ( few) What r the repercussions?(many) Do u want 2 work again? (Yes) R you prepared 2b ostracized?(No)(11/cont.)

— terrycrews (@terrycrews) October 10, 2017

Lena Dunham

As soon as the Weinstein news broke, actress Lena Dunham ushered in her support for the women who came forward — but like with everything Dunham does, it was met with some skepticism.

Thread: anyone saying these women are weak for taking a settlement or waiting to come forward- you don’t understand what intimidation means

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) October 7, 2017

But the actress overstepped her mark when she called men who spoke out against Weinstein “sexually irresistible” in a since-deleted tweet praising men for the minimum amount of decency.

Lena Dunham shut the fuck up and stop being consistently loud, wrong, and trash challenge pic.twitter.com/HqnsAdGaxN

— THE HOOD ORACLE (@MADBLACKTHOT) October 11, 2017

Many were also frustrated, because in her book Not That Kind of Girl, Dunham details how she forced her sister to kiss her when they were children — and also how she would sometimes curiously “carefully spread open” her sister’s legs.

The irony of Lena Dunham getting mad about Harvey Weinstein when she herself molested her sister and made a joke of it

— brianna ✨ (@steviesbvck) October 10, 2017

Other notable comments

Many other notable celebrities have spoken out on social media. These were their statements.

1. Coming forward about sexual abuse and coercion is scary and women have nothing to be gained personally by doing so.

— Julianne Moore (@_juliannemoore) October 9, 2017

Women are fighting against the ‘Grab Them By The Pussy’ normalization & speaking up. Its never easy to be the first to go on record #Respect https://t.co/PKu19hEpd6

— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 6, 2017

I believe all the women coming forward about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment. It takes bravery to do so.

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) October 7, 2017

To be clear what Harvey Weinstein did was a disgusting abuse of power and horrible. I hope we are now seeing the beginning of the end of these abuses.

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 8, 2017

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.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 10, 2017

Huge respect for @AshleyJudd and all the women who broke their silence for the article on Harvey Weinstein. Brave.

— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) October 7, 2017

@AshleyJudd & @rosemcgowan I’m sure it wasn’t easy to come forward but in doing so you helped a lot of others who might not have been heard.

— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) October 6, 2017

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. https://t.co/T0hInW7EqJ

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) October 9, 2017

Heed the mantra and never forget: Women. Have. Nothing. To. Gain. And. Everything. To Lose. By. Coming. forward. https://t.co/ynKX1bcBkK

— Amber Tamblyn (@ambertamblyn) October 5, 2017

Others have given statements to various news publications, many of which you can find here.

Feature images: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, edited)