As dozens of Hollywood actresses continue to come forward to share their experiences of being sexually harassed (and worse) by Harvey Weinstein, the embattled movie mogul is having a tough time finding anyone to speak up for him.
According to TMZ, Weinstein has been claiming that despite the likes of Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow detailing their stories of sexual harassment by him, he still has a powerful ally in his corner: Oprah Winfrey.
In fact, TMZ reports that Weinstein has “repeatedly told his team and friends” that Winfrey had called him earlier this week, telling him that “he needed to speak out and defend himself, and when he did she would be right there supporting him.”
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While Weinstein has reportedly told several industry colleagues of having Winfrey’s full support, she begs to differ.
“Oprah has not spoken to Harvey Weinstein directly,” a rep for Winfrey tells TMZ. “Someone from his team reached out to her to see if she would talk to him, and she said she would if it was for an interview. There are no plans for an interview at this time.”
According to Winfrey’s rep, she wanted to entice Weinstein to sit down with her for a “60 Minutes” interview, adding that “she was only interested if he’d look in the mirror and give her the honest, bone marrow truth.”
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On Thursday, Winfrey issued a statement excoriating Weinstein for his behaviour. “I’ve been processing the accounts of Harvey Weinstein’s hideous behaviour and haven’t been able to find the words to articulate the magnitude of the situation,” she said in her statement, quoting filmmaker James Schamus: “This is the story of one predator and his many victims; but it is also a story about an overwhelming systemic enabling, and until that story is fully told we will fall far short of stopping future depredations on a similar scale.”
