The Untold Truth Of Harvey Weinstein

Harvey Weinstein was one of the most powerful studio heads in Hollywood for decades. After founding Miramax with his brother, Bob Weinstein, Harvey became one of the biggest names in cinema and helped launch the careers of such visionary directors as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. When it came to the Oscars, if Harvey was involved in a project, you could almost guarantee it was bringing home the gold. 

But there's a dark side to this iconic mogul that's left many observers wondering if the ends justified the means. The so-called "open secret" about how he treated women blew up in his face in the fall of 2017, yet if you look back at the many untold truths of Harvey Weinstein, those bombshell revelations start to look a lot less surprising. Keep reading for more.

By the early 2000s, Harvey Weinstein was a dominating force in Hollywood. The guy known for busting out critical hits such as Pulp Fiction (1994), was made even more formidable when Disney purchased Miramax in 1993. You didn't want to cross him because the movie titan had a reputation for blowing his stack at anybody and everybody.

As David Carr wrote in a profile for New York Magazine, Weinstein was so powerful that supposedly no publication would run paparazzi photos of him clearly assaulting a New York Observer reporter and putting him in a headlock. In New York, "No one's juice approaches Weinstein's," Carr wrote. "He's got P. T. Barnum's DNA and Walt Disney's billions."

As far back as 2001, Carr uncovered a red flag that suggested Weinstein might not be the most respectful guy when it comes to women.

At Weinstein's personal request, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow made herself available for Carr to interview in his New York Magazine profile. During the interview, she made an odd remark about being asked by Weinstein to pose in S&M garb for the debut issue of the Miramax-owned Talk magazine, which, as Carr noted, "didn't fit either her career arc or any of her personal needs."

"There were certain favors that he asked me to do that I felt were not exploitive but not necessarily as great for me as they were for him," Paltrow said. "I brought this to his attention, and he said, 'I will never do that again.' And he's been true to his word." She continued, "He's larger-than-life in every way, so his good qualities are maybe more pronounced—as are some of his bad qualities."

Keep in mind, Paltrow hails from Hollywood royalty. Steven Spielberg is her godfather, so the notion that she still felt compelled to placate Weinstein and bend to his wishes speaks volume about the scope of his power. Plus, it probably didn't hurt that he was a force of nature when it came to Oscar campaigns.

By 2014, Vulture reported that Weinstein had locked down more than 300 Oscar nominations, which, for the record, is a lot. However, he has allegedly deployed a plethora of "tricks and schemes" over the years to garner those accolades and potentially sabotage the competition. 

In 2001, when the Miramax picture In the Bedroom went up against A Beautiful Mind, Weinstein's team allegedly tried to paint Mind filmmakers as homophobic and the original book as anti-Semitic. Later, while campaigning for The Reader (2008), he was accused of being behind the negative press that suggested Slumdog Millionaire (2008) exploited child actors in India. "What can I say? When you're Billy the Kid and people around you die of natural causes, everyone thinks you shot them," Weinstein responded, according to Vulture.

His reported ruthlessness wasn't focused on just winning Oscars. He was also allegedly relentless about making sure a movie was in theaters when he wanted it to be in theaters, even if that meant haunting a few deathbeds.

In 2008, Deadline reported that Weinstein and producer Scott Rudin traded blows over the release date for The Reader after a series of setbacks delayed production and director Stephen Daldry exercised his right to final cut, which would have pushed the film out of the 2008 awards season and into the next year. By that time, Weinstein was no longer at Miramax and the film was being produced by The Weinstein Company, which was not doing well financially. According to Rudin, Weinstein was dead set on getting the film nominated for an Academy Award for some pretty gross reasons.

That same year, acclaimed producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella died, which Weinstein supposedly viewed as the perfect opportunity for Oscar gold. "If I can't get a movie nominated that has Sydney's and Anthony's name on it this year, I should leave the business," he allegedly said.

After the abrasive movie mogul reportedly became aggressive with Daldry, Rudin removed his name from The Reader in protest. According to Deadline, Weinstein even went so far as to harass Minghella's widow and Pollack on his deathbed, then allege that the late producers "would have wanted" the film released in 2008. Rudin called it a "blatant attempt to ride the coattails of the deaths of two beloved guys."

It was a bad look for Weinstein, who already had a nasty reputation, despite promising that he'd found a cure for his hot temper.

By the mid-2000s, Weinstein was in the middle of a public battle with Disney CEO Michael Eisner and on the precipice of leaving Miramax to start The Weinstein Company with his brother and long-time business partner, Bob. Harvey reportedly didn't have trouble securing finance from Goldman Sachs, but he did have an image problem that took a significant hit from Peter Biskind's 2004 book Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film. According to New York Magazine, the book included some not-so-flattering anecdotes—like the one about Harvey berating director Julie Taymor after a screening of Frida (2002) and threatening to fight her husband before firing several of his assistants on the spot.

Harvey did admit to the Los Angeles Times that the aforementioned confrontation happened and he "screwed up," but he also started peddling an excuse. "The best thing that happened to me was that I found out I was diabetic," he said. "I had never admitted it because I saw it as a sign of weakness. My insulin would go up when I'd have sugar and it tickled my adrenaline gland and I'd have a metabolic reaction. So I've changed my diet, I take medicine and eat a lot of fiber. And I've gone from a number of incidents a year to perhaps one a year."

As a 2017 exposé in The New York Times revealed, Harvey's famous temper didn't go anywhere, and he couldn't blame his next controversial move on too much sugar.

In 2009, Harvey Weinstein wrote an op-ed in the Independent demanding that convicted child rapist Roman Polanski be freed after the controversial director was arrested by Swiss police on an extradition order from the United States. (Polanski fled to Paris in 1977 after learning that a judge planned to reject a plea bargain and sentence the director to 50 years in prison. The extradition order was ultimately ignored, and Polanski was freed by Swedish authorities.) In Weinstein's words, Polanksi's situation represented a "miscarriage of justice, and the government is making him a scapegoat."

In Weinstein's defense, he could not have known at the time that there were more rape accusations coming down the line for Polanski. However, Weinstein did know that Polanski had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, and yet he still came to his aid, which was a risky move to make in light of the skeletons in Weinstein's own closet. It seems the boisterous film mogul was still riding high on Oscar wins and had no idea his grip on Hollywood was running on borrowed time.

By 2015, Weinstein's clout in Hollywood had declined drastically. While he once had the power to allegedly stop the media from publishing photos of him assaulting a New York Observer reporter, he now couldn't even put the brakes on an unauthorized documentary about his tyrannical reputation. And that's when the serious accusations began:

In March 2015, Page Six reported that Italian model Ambra Battilana told police that Weinstein had allegedly groped her during a meeting in a hotel room. A spokesperson for Weinstein denied the accusation and accused Battilana of blackmail, but the New York Daily News reported that the New York Police Department had set up a recorded phone call with Weinstein, who allegedly "didn't deny touching" Battilana. However, no charges were filed, and Battilana went on with her life. 

What no one knew until 2017 is that Battilana had quietly accepted a settlement from Weinstein. Soon, the whispers about Weinstein's "open secret" grew into a dull roar.

Days after the Battilana story broke, Gawker went to work compiling all of the rumors about Weinstein's alleged treatment of women, which New York Magazine reporter Jennifer Senior called a "despicable open secret." 

According to Gawker, rumors about Weinstein's "casting couch" stretched all the way back to the early '90s. The publication cited pieces by Courtney Enlow and Elaine Lu on "Harvey's girls" who may have been exploited by the studio head. The alleged actresses included Gretchen Mol, Jessica Alba, and Blake Lively. Those rumored accusations have never been corroborated, but the stories found new life when new sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein surfaced.

If the Battilana story was blood in the water for Weinstein, what followed in 2017 was a full-on feeding frenzy.

On Oct. 4, 2017, The Hollywood Reporter published a story that said Weinstein had assembled a powerful legal team that included famed feminist lawyer Lisa Bloom. Reportedly, both The New York Times and The New Yorker were working on separate "damaging" exposés about Weinstein's behavior. When asked to comment, Weinstein joked to The Hollywood Reporter, "The story sounds so good, I want to buy the movie rights."

But 24 hours later, Weinstein would be singing a different tune. In a bombshell report, The New York Times uncovered at least eight settlements paid to women that were allegedly harassed by Weinstein, including actress Rose McGowan. On top of that, multiple former employees went on the record accusing Weinstein of being sexually coercive. Sources described his penchant for uncomfortable hotel room meetings where he'd allegedly make requests for women to give him nude massages, watch him shower, or engage in intercourse.

One of Weinstein's alleged victims is actress Ashley Judd, who spoke to the The New York Times and described several instances of Weinstein allegedly making sexual advances toward her in a hotel room while shooting Kiss the Girls in 1997.

Unlike his quip to The Hollywood Reporter, Weinstein gave a careful response to the The New York Times. "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it," he said. "Though I'm trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go."

Following the exposé, Weinstein's reactions got even weirder.

In a lengthy response to the allegations reported in The New York Times, Weinstein issued an outlandish statement. Not only did he blame his behavior on "coming of age in the '60s and '70s," but he also incorrectly quoted some Jay Z lyrics and concluded with a promise to bring down the National Rifle Association in response to the deadly shooting that occurred in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017. It was as bizarre and as egotistical as it gets.

Even more surprising is that Weinstein was able to secure the legal services of Bloom, who is known as a champion for feminist causes. Alas, it turns out that Weinstein and Jay Z are producing a TV miniseries based on her 2014 book, Suspicion Nation. Bloom gave an odd statement of her own about advising Weinstein. She referred to him as "an old dinosaur learning new ways" in therapy. She also promised that he isn't going to "demean or attack" any of his accusers even though he disputes their allegations. 

However, these measured statements and apologies only lasted a few hours before Weinstein went on the attack.

With The New York Times exposé hot off the press, the floodgates quickly opened against Weinstein as new accusers came forward with allegations that they'd reportedly sat on for years, fearful of the movie mogul's once-powerful connections.

According to Page Six, British actress Jessica Hynes tweeted that Weinstein allegedly offered her a film role at age 19 but wanted her to audition in a bikini. When she refused, she lost the job. If Hynes' allegations are true, this would be yet another example of Weinstein's infamous casting couch behavior.

Hynes deleted her tweets after they began to make headlines, but she did predict there would be "many more" women coming forward with their own lurid tales about Weinstein. She wasn't wrong.

Barely a day after The New York Times delivered its bombshell report, reporter Lauren Sivan gave an on-the-record interview to HuffPost and accused Weinstein of trapping her in the hallway of an empty restaurant during a private tour and exposing himself after she refused his advances. Weinstein reportedly told Sivan that she can "just stand there and shut up," while he performed a sex act on himself into a potted plant.

Sivan confirmed the aforementioned interview on Twitter: "Yeah. This happened. Luckily I didn't need a job or favor from him + didn't have to be polite. Others did. Keep that in mind." She also launched a preemptive strike on anyone who might question why she waited to come forward with her allegations, tweeting. "For those asking why I waited? YOU try telling that story 10yrs ago. Only possible now because of women with bigger names far braver than me."

Sivan's story was fuel for a fast-moving fire that has rapidly consumed Weinstein's stature as a Hollywood titan.

Given Bloom's reputation for championing women who have been allegedly mistreated by men, her role as Weinstein's "advisor" fell under intense scrutiny, and the fact that he had optioned her book did not look good either. Even Bloom's own mother, famed attorney Gloria Allred, issued a statement saying that she would not have taken Weinstein's case. Ouch.

Barely two days after Bloom's involvement became known, she resigned as Weinstein's advisor. The Wrap reported that Lanny Davis, a powerful political advocate who was also a key advisor to Weinstein, also resigned from his legal team shortly after Bloom's departure.

The situation was going from bad to worse for Weinstein, and he was finding himself short of allies, Including his own brother.

As Weinstein's entire career began to implode, Page Six dropped a bombshell: his brother, Bob, allegedly masterminded The New York Times exposé so he could take over The Weinstein Company. According to a source, "Bob has wanted Harvey out for years," and there has always been a "love-hate relationship" between the two siblings. The source even went so far to say that "Bob wanted Harvey to get what's coming to him."

Sources close to the disgraced mogul told TMZ that Harvey allegedly believes Bob is behind the "well-orchestrated plan." According to the sources, Harvey's people have a receipt that proves Bob received Harvey's personnel file, which contained a number of sexual harassment claims that Bob allegedly leaked to The New York Times.

Bob denied those rumors. "His remorse and apologies to the victims of his abuse are hollow. He said he would go away for help and has yet to do so," Bob told TMZ. "He has proven himself to be a world class liar and now rather than seeking help he is looking to blame others."

A rep for Harvey sang a different tune, telling TMZ: "No matter what derogatory things Bob Weinstein says about his brother, Harvey Weinstein believes his brother is his brother and does not believe his brother would leak his personnel file to the NYT."

Regardless, within a few days of the exposé's publication, Harvey was out, and the throne was Bob's for the taking.

As the scandal unfolded, Harvey's future at The Weinstein Company looked uncertain but still salvageable. The plan was to suspend him as the company conducted an internal investigation and Harvey worked on rehabilitating his image, but things quickly went south. 

By Oct. 8, 2017, Variety reported that Harvey had been fired with cause from his own company. "In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company—Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar—have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," the company said in a statement.

The company statement did not specify what "new information" prompted the board to terminate Harvey. Was it Sivan's accusations to HuffPost or more damaging information to come?

Not long after the story broke, the New York Post reported that Harvey Weinstein planned to sue The New York Times for $50 million over its reporting, which he claims is "filled with false and defamatory statements." In a follow-up interview with the New York Post, he also accused The New York Times of having a vendetta against him and claimed the paper went back on a deal to tell his team about the people it had on record.

While he refused to talk about which allegations were true or false, Harvey did make a questionable statement about Judd that could be viewed as an attempt to undermine her credibility. "I know Ashley Judd is going through a tough time right now," he told the New York Post. "I read her book [her memoir All That is Bitter and Sweet], in which she talks about being the victim of sexual abuse and depression as a child. Her life story was brutal, and I have to respect her. In a year from now, I am going to reach out to her." So much for not demeaning his accusers.  

The New York Times exposé was just the tip of the iceberg... 

In the aftermath of Weinstein's firing, Janice Min, part owner of The Hollywood Reporter, tweeted a desperate email that Weinstein supposedly sent to his powerful Hollywood friends begging them to petition The Weinstein Company not to fire him. Weinstein's alleged correspondence included promises to take a leave of absence and seek treatment if he could keep his job. Said email also included accusations that the company was possibly acting illegally by firing him.

What made the message especially remarkable is that it showed the once-dominating Hollywood titan on the ropes in a way that no one ever thought possible. This had to be a sobering moment for Weinstein, who had grown accustomed to making Hollywood's biggest power players do his bidding, as they often did.

In light of The New York Times exposé, entertainment reporter Sharon Waxman went on the offensive. She berated the Times for essentially patting itself on the back while criticizing other media outlets for failing to report on Weinstein's behavior toward women. According to Waxman, the Times is also guilty of allegedly caving to Weinstein's tactics.

Writing for The Wrap, Waxman says she pursued a story for the Times in 2004 about Miramax employee Fabrizio Lombardo, who allegedly handled Weinstein's "women needs among other things." The "other things" supposedly included paying off a London employee who allegedly had an "unwanted sexual encounter" with Weinstein. During Waxman's reporting for the Times, she says things went sideways.

According to Waxman, Weinstein, who was a major advertiser with the Times, personally appeared in the newsroom and voiced his displeasure about the story. He also allegedly arranged for Matt Damon and Russell Crowe to directly call Waxman and vouch for Lombardo. Waxman claims her story was "gutted" and "buried," reduced to "an obscure story about Miramax firing an Italian executive." 

The New York Times issued a response to Waxman's story that said her aforementioned piece consisted primarily of an "off-the-record account from one woman," which simply wasn't enough. 

On Oct. 10, 2017, just five days after The New York Times published its explosive feature, The New Yorker published an investigative piece by Ronan Farrow that delved even further into the "open secret" that is Weinstein's alleged sexual harassment. Farrow also detailed how Weinstein allegedly attempted to derail his story through various means of professional and legal intimidation. 

Farrow reported that the New York Police Department had the goods on Weinstein in the 2015 Battilana groping case. (Farrow actually got to hear the recording where the movie mogul allegedly incriminates himself.) He also reported that Weinstein allegedly launched a smear campaign in the tabloids to damage Battilana's credibility and force a settlement, thus halting the NYPD's efforts.

In addition, Farrow discovered that Weinstein's actions may have gone far beyond allegations of sexual harassment. According to his report, the embattled studio head allegedly raped at least three women.

In 1997, actress Asia Argento was invited to a hotel party thrown by Weinstein. According to The New Yorker, she was dropped off at his room by a producer only to discover that no one was there except Weinstein. The producer quickly made an exit. At that point, Weinstein allegedly pulled his trademark move: going to the bathroom, emerging with a bathrobe, asking for a massage, but in Argento's case, Weinstein allegedly took things further by forcibly performing oral sex on her. The alleged assault reportedly traumatized her to the point that she spent five years accepting Weinstein's sexual advances out of fear and obligation.

Two other women also accused Weinstein of sexual assault, including a woman who was allegedly forced to perform oral sex on Weinstein in 2004 while she was an aspiring actress. According to Farrow, four other women accused Weinstein of "unwanted touching that could be classified as an assault."

As for what happened to the women who allegedly refused Weinstein's advances? Multiple actresses claim to know how that goes.

In the early '90s, Rosanna Arquette and Mira Sorvino were both up-and-coming actress, thanks to starring roles in Miramax films. However, their film careers never took off.

Like other accounts, Arquette told The New Yorker that she rebuffed Weinstein's advances in a hotel room while he was wearing only a bathrobe. Weinstein allegedly told her she was making a mistake, and she believes that her career suffered because of it. She even warned Farrow: "He's going to be working very hard to track people down and silence people," she said. "To hurt people. That's what he does."

Sorvino told a similar tale. She claimed Weinstein allegedly attempted to pay a surprise visit to her apartment, but she avoided trouble by having a friend show up posing as her boyfriend. Like Arquette, Sorvino told The New Yorker that she was "iced out" in Hollywood because she rejected Weinstein.

As the list of actresses accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment continues to grow, the following two names shook Hollywood to its core.

On the same day that The New Yorker dropped its explosive investigation, The New York Times published a new report that featured the accounts of several women who had allegedly been sexually harassed by Weinstein. Among them are Hollywood superstars Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, who both claim they experienced, and rejected, the same infamous treatment from Weinstein (hotel room, bathrobe, request for a massage, etc.) 

"I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did," Jolie said. "This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable."

Paltrow, who was reportedly terrified after her alleged encounter, confided in her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt. Pitt told The New York Times that he confronted Weinstein at a premiere and "told him to never touch Ms. Paltrow again."

Heather Graham added her voice to the rapidly growing number of actresses who've contended with Weinstein's alleged advances. In a column for Variety, Graham accused Weinstein of heavily implying that she would have to sleep with him to star in one of his films. 

Graham also wrote that Weinstein attempted to arrange one of his infamous hotel room meetings, but alarm bells were already ringing in her head. Graham turned down the meeting after Weinstein allegedly tried to lure her into his room by claiming over the phone that one of her friends was already there with him. "I knew he was lying, so I politely and apologetically reiterated that I could no longer come by," she said. 

Graham concluded her column by encouraging more women to come forward. Clearly, that wasn't going to be a problem.

After Bloom resigned as Weinstein's advisor, her mother, Allred, jumped into the fray—for the other side.

In a press conference held the same day The New Yorker story was published, actress/screenwriter Louisette Geiss publicly accused Weinstein of forcibly attempting to make her watch him perform a sex act on himself during a meeting. "As I went to get my purse to leave, he grabbed my forearm and pulled me to his bathroom and pleaded with me to watch him masturbate," she said (via Variety). "My heart was racing and I was very scared."

After Geiss shared her harrowing account, Allred said she hoped to compel Weinstein into arbitration to seek justice for the victims. "I find that to be in his own self-interest for the future, and in addition, in the interest for the persons who allege they are victims, because there would be due process for both," Allred told reporters (via Variety).

As the mountain of accusations against Weinstein piled up, his wife of 10 years, Georgina Chapman, announced that she was leaving him.

"My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions," Chapman said in a statement (via People). "I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time."

Chapman's decision stood in stark contrast to comments Weinstein made about his wife to the New York Post when the scandal first broke. "She stands 100 percent behind me," he said. "Georgina and I have talked about this at length. We went out with Lisa Bloom last night when we knew the article was coming out. Georgina will be with Lisa and others kicking my a** to be a better human being and to apologize to people for my bad behavior, to say I'm sorry, and to absolutely mean it."

Considering both Bloom and Chapman quickly jumped ship as the scandal unfolded, it raises serious questions about whether Weinstein was entirely upfront with the two women or truthful in his statements. 

The day People broke the news that his wife left him, Weinstein sources told TMZ that he was immediately flying to Europe that very night to check himself into rehab for sex addiction. However, the following day, TMZ reported that Weinstein was still in Los Angeles and allegedly had an altercation with his daughter that resulted in her calling the police. Yikes!

Weinstein has since reportedly booked it out of town on a private jet, but instead of traveling to Europe, TMZ reported that he was heading to a rehab facility in Arizona.

In an interview with The Guardian, actress Léa Seydoux also accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her. "We were talking on the sofa when he suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me," she said. "I had to defend myself. He's big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him." According to Seydoux, she had to physically resist Weinstein several more times before he eventually gave up. 

At this point, her story sounds all too familiar. "That's the most disgusting thing," Seydoux said. "Everyone knew what Harvey was up to and no one did anything. It's unbelievable that he's been able to act like this for decades and still keep his career."

Suicide Squad (2016) star Cara Delevingne added her voice to the chorus of allegations against Weinstein. In a lengthy Instagram post, Delevingne recounted how Weinstein allegedly criticized her bisexuality, and then later, lured her into a hotel room where he allegedly expected her to engage in a threesome with another woman. When Delevingne attempted to leave, Weinstein allegedly blocked the door and tried to kiss her. Delevingne managed to escape.

Delevingne expressed guilt that she accepted a film role from Weinstein, which she believed was his way of making up for the alleged incident in the hotel room. "I didn't want to hurt his family," she wrote. "I felt guilty as if I did something wrong. I was also terrified that this sort of thing had happened to so many women I know but no one had said anything because of fear."

Actress Kate Beckinsale also wrote a lengthy Instagram post detailing Weinstein's allegedly relentless sexual advances that supposedly began when she was only 17. She claimed her refusal to give in to him triggered violent insults and "undoubtedly harmed my career." Beckinsale concluded her post with a plea to "stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder."

Clearly, this moment has been a long time coming, but how many more actresses need to come forward before real changes start to happen?

Chapman's luxury fashion brand, Marchesa, may not survive the scandal. 

"He was the mastermind behind Marchesa—orchestrating deals and using his influence in terms of the celebrity connections for her on behalf of the brand," an L.A. fashion publicist told The Hollywood Reporter. "They both benefited from the relationship, but she certainly knew about his bad behavior." According to the publicist, actresses Sienna Miller and Felicity Huffman felt pressured to wear Marchesa gowns on the red carpet to avoid upsetting Weinstein. 

Within days of the scandal breaking, Newsweek dubbed Rose McGowan the "voice of the Weinstein resistance." When The New York Times reported that she'd reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in the '90s, she initially did not go on the record about it. However, she quickly became a firebrand on Twitter, slamming Weinstein and even calling Ben Affleck a liar after the Good Will Hunting (1997) star claimed he didn't know about his former Miramax boss' behavior.

But then something strange happened to McGowan's aggressive Twitter account. It was suspended. Many speculated Hollywood powers were trying to protect Weinstein and/or Affleck, but Twitter said the account was temporarily suspended because she tweeted a private phone number, which is against the site's rules, reported The AV Club.

McGowan's account was quickly restored after the phone number was removed. The company even encouraged "brave women and men" to keep using the site "to speak truth to power." McGowen needed no encouragement, taking to Twitter to accuse Weinstein of rape and continue leading her #RoseArmy.

On top of facing a never-ending parade of allegations, Weinstein has found himself in the crosshairs of an NYPD investigation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the department issued the following statement:

"Based on information referenced in published news reports the NYPD is conducting a review to determine if there are any additional complaints relating to the Harvey Weinstein matter. No filed complaints have been identified as of this time and as always, the NYPD encourages anyone who may have information pertaining to this matter to call the CrimeStoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS."

Weinstein's troubles didn't stop in New York. According to The Associated Press, the London Metropolitan Police are also investigating a sexual assault allegation made against Weistein.

If Weinstein's alleged actions seem particularly brazen, that may be because his employment contract with The Weinstein Company (TWC) may have essentially looked the other way. According to TMZ, the contract stipulated that "if he gets sued for sexual harassment or any other 'misconduct' that results in a settlement or judgment against TWC, all Weinstein has to do is pay what the company's out, along with a fine, and he's in the clear."

According to Deadline, there's presumably a legal battle brewing over Weinstein's firing.

TMZ unearthed footage from 2005 where rocker Courtney Love dropped a big warning about Harvey. It all went down on the red carpet for the Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson. When comedian Natasha Leggero asked Love if she had any advice for young women starting out in Hollywood, Love initially hesitated, saying, "Um...I'll get libeled if I say it." Then she did: "If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party in the Four Seasons, don't go."

In hindsight, that's obviously a huge red flag, but in 2005, it seemed like just another joke to most. However, in the midst of the Weinstein scandal, Love provided a statement claiming that joke had its consequences. "Although I wasn't one of his victims, I was eternally banned by CAA for speaking out against Harvey Weinstein," she told TMZ.

Weinstein had a well-earned reputation as a fierce Oscars campaigner, so it had to be a crushing blow when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences voted to expel him by a significant majority.

"We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over," the Academy Board of Governors said in a statement (via NPR). "What's at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society. "

The Producers Guild of America voted unanimously to expel Weinstein, according to Deadline. The PGA also created the "Anti-Sexual Harassment Task Force" in an effort to "play a leading role in cleaning up the industry."

While those efforts are clearly needed, one of Weinstein's former collaborators isn't exactly thrilled with the big show that Hollywood is putting on in the wake of scandal. According to him, everybody knew.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Beautiful Girls (1996) screenwriter Scott Rosenberg laid it on the line: "If Harvey's behavior is the most reprehensible thing one can imagine, a not-so-distant second is the current flood of sanctimonious denial and condemnation that now crashes upon these shores of rectitude in gloppy tides of bullsh*t righteousness," he said (via Deadline.) "Because everybody-f**king-knew. And do you know how I am sure this is true? Because I was there. And I saw you. And I talked about it with you. You, the big producers; you, the big directors; you, the big agents; you, the big financiers. And you, the big rival studio chiefs; you, the big actors; you, the big actresses; you, the big models. You, the big journalists; you, the big screenwriters; you, the big rock stars; you, the big restaurateurs; you, the big politicians. I saw you. All of you. God help me, I was there with you."

Rosenberg acknowledged that Weinstein made people a lot of money and dazzled them with the best of Hollywood life. He encouraged others to stop hiding what they know. "Doesn't being a bystander bring with it the responsibility of telling the truth, however personally disgraceful it may be?" he wrote. "You know who are. You know that you knew."

As powerful voices come forward with explosive allegations, and as Hollywood heavy-hitters denounce the former studio head, the stage is set for more of Tinseltown's elite to speak out on the scandal. Stay tuned to Nicki Swift as we keep you up-to-date on the latest details as they unfold.