Michael Douglas Embraces #MeToo Even Amid Potential Accusation
Michael Douglas stares into the future Image by Getty Images
Michael Douglas is in a unique position.
The actor is an avid, outspoken fan of the #MeToo movement. He is enthusiastic about recognizing wrongdoing in his industry and enforcing equal hiring practices and making more women’s voices heard. “I support the movement wholeheartedly,” Douglas told the Associated Press on Monday.
Douglas also has reason to be concerned about being accused of sexual harassment himself.
Five months ago, Douglas spoke out about facing an allegation of sexual harassment. Unlike the dozens of other celebrity men scrambling to clear their name at the time, the longtime actor had not been publicly accused of anything.
At the time, Douglas explained that he “felt the need to get ahead” of a possible upcoming allegation by a former employee who he said claimed to his lawyer that he masturbated in front of her, fired her, and then obstructed her career. In a conversation he elected to have with Deadline, the actor denied all these things but said that he would own that he had used “colorful language” in front of her. The woman who Douglas says confronted his lawyer with these claims has not come forward publicly.
Despite this, Douglas and his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, both continue to speak warmly and enthusiastically about #MeToo. “It’s definitely had an effect,” Douglas said on Monday. “I’ve seen many, many more women in roles, directing, cinematography and otherwise. They did a good job.” Zeta-Jones has added, “We support ‘Me Too’ and the movement more than anybody, anybody — me as a woman, him as a man.”
Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
