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
A message from our CEO & publisher 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.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
