In October 2017, published reports of sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein precipitated an immediate "national reckoning" against sexual harassment and assault in the United States, known as the Weinstein effect. Compounded by other sexual harassment cases earlier in the year, the Weinstein reports and subsequent Me Too hashtag campaign, which encouraged individuals to share their suppressed stories of sexual misconduct, created a cavalcade of allegations across multiple industries that brought about the swift ouster of many men in positions of power both in the United States and, as it spread, around the world. In the entertainment industry, allegations led to the ousters of actors and directors alike. Most prominently, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K., and filmmaker Brett Ratner had projects canceled following at least six allegations apiece. Over 200 women accused filmmaker James Toback of sexual harassment. In journalism, allegations led to the ousters of editors, publishers, executives, and hosts. In other industries, the celebrity chef John Besh and other executives in finance and public relations were removed.
The Me Too campaign spread to other countries and languages over social media. Allegations against multiple British politicians created a public scandal and led to the suspension and resignations of three officials. In Canada, comedy festival founder Gilbert Rozon resigned and over a dozen individuals accused Quebec radio host Éric Salvail of sexual misconduct.
American journalists in conversation at NPR wrote of the series of allegations feeling like a tipping point for societal treatment of sexual misconduct, distinguished from prior sexual misconduct public debates by the public trust put in the celebrity accusers, as opposed to prior cases of publicly unknown accusers. The Weinstein effect continued the women's movement represented by the January 2017 Women's March in opposition to American president Donald Trump's lewd Access Hollywood recording. Other journalists doubted that the trend would hold.
Background
In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported on decades of sexual misconduct claims against film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was subsequently ousted from his company within a week. Weinstein had previously suppressed these cases through confidential financial settlements and nondisclosure agreements, as was common for celebrity sexual harassment cases, before journalists aired the story. Journalists had similarly and recently brought about political commentator Bill O'Reilly's ouster through reporting on his sexual harassment settlements. In both cases, the publicity of the reports forced their employers to remove the celebrities, and shed public light on the taboo culture of silence surrounding sexual misconduct cover-ups.[1]
The events that followed the Weinstein allegations were also influenced by prior public cases of sexual misconduct in the United States: Anita Hill's testimony during Clarence Thomas's 1991 Supreme Court nomination, the mid-2010s Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations, and most prominently, the Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations and lewd, hot mic recording between the president and a host of Access Hollywood.[2][3] American national attitudes towards sexual harassment also shifted with Fox News television host Gretchen Carlson's lawsuit against the station's chairman Roger Ailes, which led to his ouster and encouraged journalists to pursue rumors about the conduct of Bill O'Reilly and Harvey Weinstein, though both O'Reilly and Ailes have denied wrongdoing.[3] Uber software engineer Susan Fowler's charges of sexual misconduct at the company led to the ouster of its CEO and an investor. USA Today wrote that 2017 was the year in which "sexual harassment became a fireable offense".[3]
Effect
The Weinstein allegations precipitated an immediate "national reckoning" against sexual harassment and assault in the United States,[1] which became known as the Weinstein effect. Emboldened men and women aired untold or suppressed stories of sexual misconduct in workplaces across multiple industries, leading to the swift international ouster of many men in positions of power. On Twitter, the Me Too hashtag campaign encouraged hundreds of thousands of individuals to share their stories.[4][3]
By late October 2017, cases of ousters included, in the entertainment industry, Amazon Studios director Roy Price, Agency for the Performing Arts talent agent Tyler Grasham, and Nickelodeon's The Loud House creator Chris Savino.[1] By early November, the number of cases compounded. The actor Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct or assault by over a dozen men and announced that he was entering unspecified treatment. Spacey was subsequently fired from House of Cards and replaced in an upcoming film. Actors Jeremy Piven, Steven Seagal, and Ed Westwick were each accused by multiple women, and each denied the charges. Actors Robert Knepper, Jeffrey Tambor, and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner each received single accusations of sexual misconduct, which each denied. Actor Dustin Hoffman apologized for an accused instance of sexual harassment of a minor. The comedian Louis C.K. confirmed multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and apologized. His upcoming film release and Netflix comedy special were canceled. Six women accused filmmaker Brett Ratner of sexual harassment, canceling his work with Warner Bros. and Playboy, though he denies the charges.[5] Over 200 women accused filmmaker James Toback of sexual harassment.[3]
In journalism, multiple men were ousted.[5] Vox Media editorial director Lockhart Steele was removed in October.[1] NBC News fired Mark Halperin following allegations of harassment at his previous workplace. He lost his book contract. NPR news chief Michael Oreskes was ousted for multiple allegations across prior and current employers. In magazines, allegations led to the resignations of Artforum publisher Knight Landesman, Billboard executive Stephen Blackwell, and The New Republic publisher Hamilton Fish. The New Republic editor Leon Wieseltier apologized following multiple accusations and was removed from The Atlantic's masthead.[5] He lost funding for his upcoming magazine venture.[3] The fashion photographer Terry Richardson was banned by Conde Nast.[3]
Outside of entertainment and publishing, Webster Public Relations CEO Kirt Webster and celebrity chef John Besh were each removed from their companies, Besh after accusations from 25 women.[5] Two executives were ousted at Fidelity Investments.[3] Local cases were also sparked against a music industry publicist in Nashville and multiple Dartmouth University professors.[6]
Outside of the United States, the effects of the Weinstein allegations affected art, business, and political centers internationally. In Europe, allegations of sexual misconduct against multiple British politicians became a public scandal involving dozens of women accusers across decades and political parties. It led to the suspension of Member of Parliament Mark Garnier and resignations of Defense Secretary Michael Fallon and Welsh minister Carl Sargeant. The #MeToo campaign became #BalanceTonPorc ("expose your pig") in France and #QuellaVoltaChe ("that one time that") in Italy. In Canada, accusations against Just for Laughs comedy festival founder Gilbert Rozon led to his resignation, and 15 accused Quebec radio host Éric Salvail of sexual misconduct. Inspired by the #MeToo campaign, South African singer and former politician Jennifer Ferguson publicly accused South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan of rape two decades prior.[4]
American journalists in conversation at NPR wrote of the series of allegations feeling like a tipping point for societal treatment of sexual misconduct.[2] They distinguished the moment from prior sexual misconduct public debates by the public trust in the accusers, who in this case were celebrities familiar to the public, rather than the accusers in prior cases, in which the accusers were unknown and became famous for their testimony. The Weinstein effect was also a continuation of the women's movement represented by the January 2017 Women's March in opposition to the president's Access Hollywood tape. Social media had also provided a platform for women to share their experiences and encouragement at a scale that had not existed during prior public debates.[2] The state of California is considering legislation to ban secret sexual harassment settlements.[3]
USA Today expressed doubt that the trend of public opinion would hold, citing open, public cases without consequential retribution: R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, and Donald Trump.[3]
