Donald Trump Jr went after US late night host Jimmy Kimmel for his supposed silence over the sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Photos / AP
Donald Trump Jr went after US late night host Jimmy Kimmel for his supposed silence over the sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Photos / AP
Donald Trump Jr went after US late night host Jimmy Kimmel for his supposed silence over the sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. It didn't go very well.
And Hollywood legends Meryl Streep and Judi Dench have joined a growing chorus of celebrities condemning Weinstein's alleged conduct.
The eldest son of President Donald Trump asked Kimmel on Twitter over the weekend what he thought of the claims against liberal campaigner Weinstein.
Quoting Kimmel's response to his father's tweet about late night hosts' "anti-Trump" material, Donald Jr brought up the sex claims:
You mean that big story from the failing, liberal, one-sided @nytimes? I think it is disgusting.
"Great I look forward to your monologues next week. You're probably due for a change if only for a moment or two," Trump Jr replied to Kimmel's sarcastic reply.
But his goading didn't go down well. Kimmel hit back with a link to the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged that "when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... grab 'em by the pussy".
The most prominent was actress Meryl Streep, who has starred in a host of Weinstein movies and once jokingly referred to him as a "god".
"The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes," Streep said in a statement to the Huffington Post.
She continued: "One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew. Harvey supported the work fiercely, was exasperating but respectful with me in our working relationship, and with many others with whom he worked professionally. I didn't know about these other offences: I did not know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues; I did not know about his having meetings in his hotel room, his bathroom, or other inappropriate, coercive acts.
"And if everybody knew, I don't believe that all the investigative reporters in the entertainment and the hard news media would have neglected for decades to write about it.
The behaviour is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game."
Dame Judi Dench - who's said she had Weinstein's initials tattooed on her rear for launching her Hollywood career - can't turn the other cheek when it comes to his alleged sex harassment.
Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been fired from his film studio, the Weinstein Company. Photo / AP
"Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past twenty years, I was completely unaware of these offenses, which are, of course horrifying and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and wholehearted support to those who have spoken out," the 82-year-old said in a statement, first reported by Newsweek.
Screenwriter, director and producer Ryan Murphy said at The New Yorker Festival: "In this society, most women have a Harvey Weinstein in their life. There is always a minefield you navigate when you're a woman and go through the system of Hollywood."
He continued: "Sometimes you are lucky enough to have champions or people who aren't interested in taking advantage of you, and sometimes you do not. I know my way around an Oscar-winning lady or two, and whenever he would come up in conversation, there was always this 'ick' or 'ugh' type of reaction. All of the women I spoke to would say that. All of them. I wondered what was up with that."
Murphy recently edited a mass shooting scene in American Horror Story: Cult after the Las Vegas massacre.
Other Hollywood heavyweights who have condemned Weinstein's alleged behaviour include Michael Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Chastain and Patricia Arquette.
H Weinstein -yikes! Disgusting and creepy. So is "leader of the free world" btw
Yes. Im sick of the media demanding only women speak up. What about the men? Perhaps many are afraid to look at their own behavior..... https://t.co/tGUsjUYNMR
There is no excuse for monsters like Harvey Weinstein. It's up to all of us, men and women, to speak up against sexual harassment and abuse. https://t.co/Ec0msl2btR
What Harvey Weinstein did was abhorrent. He admits he did it. Why should anyone be silent in their disgust and support for his victims? https://t.co/fh9TKUp0mA
