Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Harvey Weinstein Talks Bar Mitzvah And Quotes Jay-Z In Rambling Pseudo-Apology

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.”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.