Harvey Weinstein Talks Bar Mitzvah And Quotes Jay-Z In Rambling Pseudo-Apology
Image by Getty Images
Oscar-winning movie producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday responded to bombshell allegations of sexual harassment by mentioning his bar mitzvah, blasting the gun lobby and President Trump — and quoting rapper Jay-Z in a rambling statement.
He later threatened to sue the New York Times over the report.
“I am going to need a place to channel that anger, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give the NRA my full attention,” he said, adding that he planned to host a retirement party for National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre “at the same (place) I had my Bar Mitzvah.”
He quoted Jay-Z as saying “I’m not the man I thought I was, and I better be that man for my children,” but the excerpt from Jay-Z’s “4:44” isn’t actually a Jay-Z quote.
He also apologized, vowed to step back from his business, seek therapy and take advice from high-profile lawyer Lisa Bloom.
The Times said Weinstein has reached confidential settlements with at least eight women, including actress Rose McGowan. A former Weinstein Co. employee, Lauren O’Connor, detailed some of the allegations over a two-year period in a memo cited by the Times report.
Weinstein’s attorney Charles J. Harder later put out a statement saying the newspaper’s story was defamatory because it relied on “mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
