The Weinstein Co. board of directors has terminated Harvey Weinstein, effective immediately, less than a week after the New York Times published a report alleging decades of sexual harassment allegations against the Hollywood super-producer and Democratic party donor.
“In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company […] have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” TWC’s board of directors said in a statement released Sunday.
The company, which Weinstein co-founded and thrust into perennial Oscar glory, decided within days of announcing that its embattled boss would take an indefinite leave of absence.
In the wake of the Times bombshell report, three of the nine members of The Weinstein Company board — including billionaire publishing heir Dirk Ziff, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, and Technicolor Deputy CEO Tim Sarnoff — resigned.
In this March 2, 2014 file photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Weinstein has been fired from The Weinstein Co., effective immediately, following new information revealed regarding his conduct, the company’s board of directors announced Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Weinstein had hired high-powered attorney Charles Harder, who won a $140 million settlement for Hulk Hogan against Gawker, before the Times story broke. But hours after the story went to print, Weinstein vowed to sue the paper for $50 million over what he called its “reckless reporting” and “inability to be honest with me” about the term of an alleged previous agreement.
Actress Meryl Streep, producer Harvey Weinstein and actress Margo Martindale attend a Q&A session following a screening of The Weinstein Co.’s “August: Osage County” at the DGA Theater on January 5, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The Academy Award-winning producer told Page Six last week that the Times “had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain.”
Weinstein has denied wrongdoing but apologized for the “pain” he has caused in a statement to the Times.
“I admit to a whole way of behavior that is not good. I can’t talk specifics, but I put myself in positions that were stupid, I want to respect women and do things better,” Weinstein said, vowing to change.
The Times reported that Weinstein had agreed to no less than eight financial settlements with women, dating back to the early 1990s, who had accused him of sexual harassment. The report detailed accusations from actresses Ashley Judd — who first worked with Weinstein on the 1997 film Kiss the Girls — and Rose McGowan, among others.
The story and the allegations in it caused several Hollywood actresses to call out Weinstein. A growing number of Democrat Party lawmakers have promised to return or donate the mass amounts of money Weinstein had donated to them over the years. And there has been a deafening silence from late-night hosts, Saturday Night Live, and a number of A-list actresses in the wake of the scandal.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson