Ben Affleck called out by Rose McGowan for knowing about Harvey Weinstein

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Do you guys remember the video of Ben Affleck making very obnoxious drunken advances in 2004 toward a Canadian journalist while she was interviewing him? Here’s a link to that, and it reminded me a little of the incident Brie Larson described with a TSA agent hitting on her – the woman was stuck in a situation with a person of power making advances, except in Affleck’s case it was so much worse. He was grabbing the interviewer, he made her sit on his lap, he put his arms around her repeatedly and he told her to “get them titties out.

In 2003 2001 Affleck was also caught on camera grabbing then 21 year-old 18 year-old Hilarie Burton’s breasts on MTV’s Total Request Live, where Burton got her first big break. Burton confirmed that she remembered the incident after a fan tweeted her about it, and added “Seriously. Thank you for that. I was a kid.” That broke my heart a little. Here’s that exchange from Twitter and here’s a link to the video of Affleck grabbing Burton. He was 31 at the time.

BurtonTwitter

After that Burton tweeted a video clip of the incident (a different version of that is below) and wrote “Girls. I’m so impressed with you brave ones. I had to laugh back then so I wouldn’t cry. Sending love.

That’s all preface to this story of Affleck issuing a statement condemning Weinstein without ever using his name. Remember that Weinstein gave Damon and Affleck their first big break by having Miramax distribute Good Will Hunting. Affleck and Damon have worked on countless Miramax films. I don’t think that Affleck needs to be innocent of sexually harassing women in order to take a definitive stance on Weinstein’s years of predatory behavior, and I’m not equating grabbing breasts or being a sleazy pickup artist to rape or to cornering women in hotel rooms. (If that’s all Affleck has done.) It does show, however, that Affleck is part of a powerful boys club who think that sexually harassing women is acceptable and who can turn a blind eye to the worst of this behavior among their own. Affleck’s statement is below.

In contrast to the interview that Matt Damon did with Deadline (which Kaiser has covered separately), I like that Affleck didn’t use the “I have daughters/a wife/a mother” justification for caring about this issue, if he indeed does care, and that he mentioned friends and coworkers too. Compare Affleck’s carefully worded statement to the candid interview that Clooney did where he admitted he knew something about Harvey but considered Weinstein’s behavior somewhat harmless and didn’t realize how awful it was. Well Affleck knew at least something, although he’s not going to admit it. Rose McGowan, who has been attempting for at least the last year to tell her story of being raped by Weinstein, called him out for implying he didn’t know what was happening.

Is this how some of these men think? Like “oh that guy shouldn’t be raping women, I told him,” or was Affleck minimizing it and thinking that Weinstein was just a little too forceful, a little too insistent that the latest young employee of his company owed him favors? So many of them do this to various degrees, think it’s ok and never face consequences. It takes an avalanche of victims to even move the needle slightly so that it finally registers with the good old boys network, the ones making all the decisions and setting it up so that women can’t reach that level. We’ll only ever be objects to those type of men.

Ben Affleck spends half of his day inside of a recovery center in LA

Ben Affleck spends half of his day inside of a recovery center in LA

Ben Affleck spends half of his day inside of a recovery center in LA

Candid photos show Affleck outside an outpatient treatment center yesterday. Credit: Backgrid

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176 Responses to “Ben Affleck called out by Rose McGowan for knowing about Harvey Weinstein”

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  1. denisemich says:

    Ben Affleck is gross. He dated Gwyneth and did Shakespeare in love with her. He did 2 movies with McGowan. He knew.

    • Truthful says:

      “He dated Gwyneth and did Shakespeare in love with her” My exact thinking. HE KNEW! of course!

    • Mermaid says:

      @denisemuch
      Ugh he’s so gross!!! He totally knew.

    • flan says:

      Who knows why Gwyneth and Affleck broke up?
      Maybe he didn’t support her enough or she felt uncomfortable with him working with Weinstein. This throws everything we know about the gossip of the last few decades in a completely different light.

      • denisemich says:

        She said they broke up because he was in the wrong place at the time…. aka he needed rehab.

    • Lady D says:

      “We’ll only ever be objects to those type of men.” Pay attention folks, we have several up-and-coming Harvey’s here.

  2. mogul says:

    Take them all down!

    • Dippit says:

      It seems like Clooney may be about to be taken down too.

      I just read on Jezebel that Vanessa Marquez, who worked with Clooney on ER, is implying on Facebook that Clooney participated in and egged men on in a culture of sexual harassment on the show. She further claims that Clooney was instrumental in getting her blackballed when she complained. She says Clooney has a lot of secrets of his own and that she knows some of them.

      I don’t believe any of the emerging boys’ club who claim they didn’t know. They are just circling the wagons to protect themselves and their complicity.

      • Ladidah says:

        I believe it, I am sure what kept Harvey in power so long was his ability to name names – of the people who have prostitution rings, the celebrity men and women who came to those parties, maybe pictures, a list of people working for him who thereby would be charged for having aided and abetted rape, the CAA agents who fax these meetings to Gwyneth Paltrows and Angelina Jolies, the people who overheard his phone calls or walked in on him chasing a woman, etc.

      • Cora says:

        @Dippit

        Which Jezebel article? I can’t find it.

        I’ve heard some terrible things about Randy Gerber harassing his female employees over the years and his buddy Clooney running interference for him, so I’m not surprised that Clooney has some secrets.

      • Dippit says:

        Cora – in the comments on this https://jezebel.com/george-clooney-calls-harvey-weinsteins-alleged-behavior-1819312776 article there is a screecap of a Facebook post Vanessa Marquez made in response to Clooney’s statement; it is very revealing.

      • Dippit says:

        Cora –
        It reads: “Umm… this from the guy who told me ‘women who don’t play the game lose their careers’ then helped organize my being BLACKLISTED. This is just pre damage control because the guy has secrets of his own and I know them. I wonder if he would say that to his (fake) Human Rights wife if something happened to her, or better yet his newborn daughter. He’s an a**hole frat boy who helped egg everyone on and the first thing John Wells asked me when I spoke up was Did George do something to you? The word was out. We were all being harassed. But I was the real problem. Payback time” – Vanessa Marquez about George Clooney on Facebook.

      • homeslice says:

        I love it. I detest Clooney. He is the biggest fakest phoney there is. I mean all the women he regularly went through? His sham marriage? lol. Good luck with that political career George!

      • xena says:

        I had such a hugh crash on george clooney during his er times – and I loved the first seasons of the show, I basically left it when he left because the storylines became just horrible. I am really sorry for Vanessa Marquez – and I so want to pin George Clooney against some wall. Seriously, what are this people thinking? That women exist to fullfill their needs? Curious to see what will be done during and before the Oscars and the Globe. This industry needs a real shake up.

      • Rose says:

        O snap it’s about to go down Harvey, Ben and now Clooney, I can only say who is next. You know the rest of these Hollywood guys are scared right now hopping they are not next on the chopping block.

        I give all these women a huge applause for taking a stand.

      • Tourmaline says:

        Ugh. Just googled Vanessa Marquez and seeing her face I instantly remembered her from ER. Good for her for speaking up.

        I’ve read rumors that ill things happened on that ER set and it is part of the reason Sherry Stringfield left the show which seemed inexplicable at the time.

      • Sky says:

        Rose is right who is next on the chopping block.

      • kibbles says:

        I would love to see Clooney and his holier-than-thou self taken down at least a few notches if not all together. Affleck is clearly trash. His friends are not much better, they are only better at PR and talking points. I’m happy to see Damon’s persona as some sort of woke liberal intellectual slowly falling to the wayside with each year. The next to fall will hopefully be Clooney. He has been better than Damon at his debonair public persona, but I don’t buy it. Look at all of the women he played before deciding to marry Amal in order to stop from becoming a complete joke and cliche.

        I don’t like his wife Amal – she seems to crave celebrity and attention, only difference between her and the other Hollywood wives is that she is actually pretty intelligent – but I think she married down when she got with Clooney. Clearly her reasoning for marrying him was also for wealth and fame, but in terms of quality and intellect, she probably deserves better. I wonder how she will proceed if any dirt comes out about him.

      • phatypopo says:

        why does she refer to Amal as “fake”?

      • JaneSaid says:

        THE majority of MEN in Hollywood are dirtbags. It pains me to say that there is a swath of women in Hwood (NOT ALL) who enables these powerful men and then look for windows to leverage the collateral damage to their advantage. It makes me sick.to write this.
        The tentacles of sexual predation in Hwood is vast.
        I have lost jobs because I wouldn’t sleep with a man in a position of power. I rejected one man’s advances (my boss), his rejected ego made things difficult for me.
        It was palpable and one of my female subordinates took notice.
        Later she began sleeping with him and I assume during pillow talk one night, she began to tell him information about me i.e. lies. He admitted to me as much. I was let go shortly after that. She took my position after I left via “promotion.”
        Ben Affleck is a smug scumbag. He cheats, he gropes, he demeans women. IF the dearth of his bad behavior meets the light of day. Wait — he will blame it on his addiction and grovel for the public’s forgiveness. He is excellent groveler, I have heard.
        All of the predatory men in HWood are scared sh*tless right now. There is a who’s next feeling in the air?
        You what, I almost didn’t post this because I was scared I could be identified. That is the knee-jerk paranoia that working in this industry induces. Many days I want to quit. But I have spent my life in the film industry — what other skills do I have?

      • Dippit says:

        Phatypopo – I took the “fake” to be in reference to the fairly widely held belief that the Clooney marriage is one of convenience in order to further George’s political aspirations and Amal’s desire to be in the spotlight through fame by association.

      • kibbles says:

        It would take a lot of hubris for Clooney to enter politics. I would actually love to see that because that is when the knives will come out and all of his secrets will be exposed. Depending on how much he has hidden, he might be deciding that at this point he is better off remaining as an actor and philanthropist.

      • Anilehcim says:

        I definitely think Clooney needs to be taken down also, for his FAKE WOKENESS!!! Where does George get off talking about how women should be treated like he wasn’t collecting women and dumping them the minute anybody learned their names?! People are way too quick to gloss over the fact that Clooney has always been a manipulative asshole. Remember when he used to date random average women? And then the minute they became known by anyone he would dump them and move onto the next cocktail waitress? Clooney’s way of dating was calculated and misogynistic… he dated women who were “beneath him” because it meant HE was in control.

        I have ALWAYS been disgusted by the fact that Clooney met Amal and suddenly was ready to settle down because 1. he has political ambitions, and 2. he really believes that he’s on par with her intellectually. Clooney has always exhibited sexist behavior… and so have all the morons who’ve talked about what an “eligible bachelor” he was all those years. While he hopped from woman to woman, the notion was always that he was the prize who hadn’t found the “right woman” yet, while the women were lucky to even be graced with his presence.

        Clooney can spare me his fake ass outrage with this.

  3. grabbyhands says:

    Affleck is such trash. I wonder how long it will take him to get to the “it isn’t my fault because I was drinking” excuse?

    Someone in another site pointed out that he never calls Weinstein out by name. Still covering.

    • Sky says:

      Don’t forget the PR rehab.

      • homeslice says:

        And cue a pap walk to the Brentwood Market with his girls in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

      • Claudia says:

        If Jen allows the pap strolls with the daughters, I’m done with her too. All for show and so completely disgusting. He’ll NO DOUBT do the church stroll this weekend as well, even though he hasn’t been to church in months. Bet on it.

    • Ladidah says:

      I feel sick watching the second video, for some reason the first wouldn’t work.

      He smells her, motions toward wanting to recreate the Janet Jackson nipple incident with the reporter, as she lifts her arm to prevent this.

      Where the f*ck were other people saying this is not an appropriate interview? Any other person saying stop filming, now?

    • LearningtheSystem says:

      I absolutely agree that by not calling Harvey Weinstein out by name in his post, Ben did NOT call out Harvey Weinstein. The mere inference to whom it was referring was deliberate and I think a passive aggressive way of saying he did not want to speak out, but was compelled for PR reasons to post something.
      I don’t think he has a problem with what Harvey did because his behavior to women for years has shown the same attitude. Just IMO.

  4. Mari says:

    I feel sorry for those journalists, because they are doing what many women would do in those kind of situations: they try to laugh it off. But they are going to be attacked and judged because of that reaction. Even though it’s kind of a mechanic defence reaction. Laughing it off, ignoring it or just freezing all together…

    • SK says:

      That second video made me so uncomfortable. I can’t even… I cannot believe he did that so openly and brazenly in a filmed piece. What a disgusting piece of sh*t.

      • Sky says:

        Yes you can actually see the level of distress passed through her eyes. Like when he was holding her and wouldn’t let go, the constantly roaming hands or when he mentioned why she was covered up an her breast weren’t on display for him to Ogle.

        it’s sad that nobody at the studio thought to put a stop to it.

      • Moon says:

        I cringed throughout that second video. I’ve had that done to me and I see how uncomfortable she was, I réalisé they’re all trying to justify this by saying “well she’s hot and he’s just letting her know, she should be flattered”, why didn’t the camera men stop it? And she was forced to air that clip later and talk about it like nothing happened, just a bit of wild and crazy.

      • Anilehcim says:

        I honestly could barely sit through that interview. It made me physically uncomfortable.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      Those videos were so hard to watch. What gross behavior from Ben. I feel so bad for those women, you can see them trying to defend themselves and still keep their jobs. F*ck, I really hate Ben now. If he does that on camera, what was he doing off screen?

  5. Nicole says:

    As everyone on twitter said:
    But what about Casey ben?

    • Purplehazeforever says:

      Casey is his brother… that’s different. He’s going to defend him no matter what. Casey was accused of sexual harassment, not rape. I’m not diminishing sexual harassment but rape is on a whole other level. And Harvey’s pattern was over 30 years…Casey a decade ago. Again, these might be trivial differences but the biggest problem I have is Casey is his brother. He’s not going to be particularly woke about his own brother

      • Jules343 says:

        Very, very serious sexual harassment accusations.

        “In 2010, two women who had worked on Affleck’s experimental film I’m Still Here filed sexual harassment suits against him. One of the women claimed that Affleck crawled into bed with her without her consent while she was asleep. He allegedly pressured the other woman to stay in his hotel room and “violently grabbed [her] arm in an effort to intimidate her into staying” when she refused, according to the complaint.

        The women claimed he verbally disparaged them and directed a subordinate to expose himself to one of them, among other types of misconduct. They also said that Affleck and the film’s star, Joaquin Phoenix, locked themselves in the women’s shared hotel room with two other women, allegedly to have sex with them.”

        I think some people assume the allegations against Casey were more ‘minor’. But the women’s full claims are just horrific, and reading them it seems extremely doubtful that was the first time Affleck ever behaved like that. Everything described is the practiced behaviour of a sexual predator.

      • EOA says:

        Yeah, I have to agree. Affleck is not going to perform “woke-ness” to satisy an angry Internet re his brother. I wouldn’t, either, with any of my brothers. At the end of the day, a family member is going to be a part of your life forever, the angry Internet mob isn’t. He isn’t going to sever his relationship with his brother because of the Internet and it’s expecting too much of him to do so, IMO.

      • Purplehazeforever says:

        I’m not assuming anything about the allegations against Casey. Sexual harassment is not the same as rape but both are traumatic and damaging. However, Casey is Ben’s brother. I’m not sure what anyone expects from here for Ben to say about Casey. Seriously. It’s his brother. That’s a relationship he has for life.

      • Lady D says:

        Maybe one day it will be his daughters calling out their uncle’s sleazy behaviour. Think Ben would feel any shame then?

    • Nicole says:

      Here’s the thing: I find his statement full of crap when he went on an oscar campaign with his brother.
      Don’t do performative wokeness then. We don’t need it.
      And really none of you would denounce a family member that sexually harassed women? Really?
      I don’t know why I’m surprised no one wants to denounce their racist family members either but will still pretend they are allies. *sigh*

      • EOA says:

        If the price I have to pay for being a “good ally” is publicly denouncing a sibling for bad behavior than I guess I will have to accept being thought of as a bad ally. My relationships with my brothers are more important to me than what the Internet thinks about me.

        Now, if my brother was accused of such a heinous thing, you could be sure that I would let him know in no uncertain terms that I found such behavior reprehensible and that he should held accountable for it. But no, I don’t think it is on a family member to publicly denounce the behavior of a loved one (except in really extreme cases like murder and even in that situation, I hope it is only done for the family themselves, not to mollify an angry mob).

      • Jules343 says:

        Right? If my brother did what Casey did, he’d be out of my life for good. I’d mourn for the loss of the brother I thought I had, but not for the person he turned out to be.

        And before anyone says easier said than done, I haven’t spoken to my father in 25 years because of things I found out about him. It wasn’t a hard choice. There’s no place in my life for predators, whether we share DNA or not.

      • Nicole says:

        I didn’t say do it to appease an angry mob. But yea it’s performative allyship to talk about causes like racism, homophobia, feminism while staying silent while people close to you further those very things. That’s the hard part of being an ally. And that’s what people talk about performative wokeness. Because you bet that those not in power are challenging people in their lives. It’s not easy but that’s the work.

      • EOA says:

        But that IS what you are asking for, @Nicole. You are insisting that Ben say something publicly about his brother to appease you, a stranger on the Internet, and if he doesn’t pass this purity test, then you will deem him a bad ally.

        Reality is usually far more complicated. And it’s setting an impossibly high standard to say that unless you are willing to publicly denounce a family member for bad behavior, then you yourself are responsible for that behavior. In fact, the call for it veers a little too close for Soviet-style thought policing for me to be comfortable.

        I am fine with people denouncing Affleck for his own behavior, words, what have you. I am not fine saying that unless an individual is willing to renounce the bonds of family and throw a loved one under the bus, they are not a “good ally.” I didn’t sign up to live in a world where my woke-ness is more important than my family.

      • lucy2 says:

        I can understand having a hard time with it when a sibling is accused, but it’s quite another to push the guy for an Oscar and squash any stories about his behavior, as Ben, and Matt, did. And don’t act all holier than thou and ramble on about protecting women now.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        I publicly denounced family members for abusive behavior, and I’d do it again. Circling the wagons because “they’re family” is what perpetuates abuse in the first place. I chose to help other victims and survivors know they weren’t alone. My small bid to break through this conspiracy of silence.

        Eh, if Ben wanted to say something about his brother, that doesn’t mean he’s “breaking the bonds of family” or “throwing his brother under the bus.” If his brother cared that little about other people, in his workplace or out, he might not be worth protecting. At the least, that behavior isn’t worth protecting. And any family that permits abuse of any type certainly isn’t worth its reputation.

      • Purplehazeforever says:

        As I said, Casey is his brother…he’s not going to particularly woke with his brother. I mean…you’re talking about Ben Affleck here. He’s not exactly smart or sensitive, he was rumored to have slept with a barely legal Britney Spears and here Celebitchy readers have their pitchforks out. If you had them out for someone who pretended, I suppose I understand it but he’s always acted like an idiotic frat boy. Always.

  6. Purplehazeforever says:

    He doesn’t admit to anything though in his statement. It’s clear he’s always known Harvey was a predator and it’s what I’ve been saying repeatedly, I’m not sure what he could have done without his career being shut down. It’s also clear from Rose’s statement that he might have said something to Harvey but also continued working with him. I understand her anger, no one listened to her and they tried to silence her. Now many are trying to say they knew nothing. It’s has to be very maddening to her. Ben needs to do some soul searching and he needs a come to Jesus moment. Quickly.

  7. Mia4s says:

    Affleck didn’t write that statement. His publicist should have been more careful. He’s always been gross and entitled.

    • tracking says:

      I think that pisses me off the most, this is so clearly a generic PR statement. At least Clooney and Damon put some thought into theirs.

  8. Birdix says:

    Those videos. Wow. He’s a Harvey jr.

  9. littlemissnaughty says:

    What the f*ck did I just watch??? I’ve been thinking about him for the past few days and I couldn’t remember why I always had a gross feeling about him. Maybe a mix of the way Gwyneth described him and the fact that he participated in those poker games Molly Bloom ran. The sh*t that went down there must’ve been equally gross. But I had never seen this.

    Cue the rehab in 3, 2, 1 …

    • felixswan2 says:

      Those videos are so gross. I felt so uncomfortable watching him harass those women, and I can’t imagine how they felt with someone who has so much power within the industry forcefully touching them. And that was caught ON CAMERA. Imagine how many times this happened when cameras weren’t rolling. Disgusting.
      He knew about Harvey Weinstein. His best bud, Matt Damon, knew about Harvey Weinstein. They are done in my book.

    • Ladidah says:

      Ah yes, when Paltrow described his ideal girlifriend as a scores stripper who serves cold beer?

      I also had never seen these videos and cue a celebrity saying, “if your young life was lived on camera your worst moments would be hard to live down too.”

      • Andrea says:

        Then why did she date him for so long? I remember them together but it seems like the oddest coupling ever after seeing these videos. He doesn’ t have charm but sleaze.

  10. Aiobhan Targaryen says:

    People complain a lot about Twitter (rightfully so),but I really love the fact that people can provide receipts so quickly to shoot down people who are trying to build a wall of lies to protect them.

    • Snazzy says:

      Yes! I mean it’s a wall of hate, but at the same time, so much love, laughter and yes, accountability 🙂

  11. Who ARE these people? says:

    We will know men like him get it when they consider the rights and feelings of women they don’t know and will never meet, not only the women they know and may consider properties they need to “protect. “

  12. lower case lois says:

    Another enabler. He is trying to protect himself, Casey Affleck and his career and IMO that is all he cares about.

  13. Nikki says:

    Please don’t crucify me, because I’m NOT victim blaming, but seeing the video of him groping both these women, and they are clearly uncomfortable but STILL smile embarrassed and uncomfortable – well, it ENRAGES me that women STILL think they have to be at all nice in these situations!!! I want young women to be able to react with lightning speed,”WHAT THE F DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, DUDE??!! KEEP YOUR PAWS OFF ME!!” is much more the way we SHOULD be able to react in these situations, if not an actual karate chop! Really, would a man smile embarrassedly if another guy fondled his privates? This is all driving me NUTS, that guys think nothing of violating women’s persons. UGH!!!!!!!!! Really can’t STAND Affleck, total creeper…Good for Rose!!!!!!

    • KB says:

      They’d have been fired if they treated a celebrity like that. I know he was drinking back then, but listen to how he’s talking to her saying stuff like “you’re usually in bikinis and showing cleavage.” He seems to have been or maybe still is the type to treat women how he thinks they deserve to be treated based on his own judgments of their behavior or clothing. Obviously he wouldn’t have done that to a different kind of reporter. To me, that’s the problem. He’s placed a value judgment on the women and is treating them accordingly. He’s got a serious Madonna/whore complex, in his love life especially.

      • Jules343 says:

        No, that’s just how he treats women in general. I’m pissed I can’t find it, hopefully someone else can (I feel like Lainey covered it at some point), but there’s a video from Project Greenlight where he makes totally unprompted sexual jokes about and to the sole female producer in a room full of men.

        To a producer. On camera. On his own show, and seemingly while sober. If he’s comfortable doing that I wouldn’t assume he treats any type of woman with respect off-camera.

      • Jayna says:

        It was more than drinking. Ben was high as a kite on that longer one, on both probably. Totally inappropriate,bizarre, but his eyes are barely opened ,but in a drugged look, not only alcohol necessarily, and he gibbered absolute nonsense the whole time. Just flying high as a kite, not even an interview. I wonder what kinds of drugs he was doing back then. Back in 2003 he was supposed to be clean. Vicodin addiction was a hush-hush thing about him back in the late ’90s. He tried to downplay it and say his problem was mostly alcohol. I wonder if he’s back on drugs again, or if he’s now just an aging alcoholic, but no drugs.

        One, two, three, damage control by the end of the week to minimize his behavior in the tapes: Ben Affleck: I am entering into a rehab facility after my Justice League promotions are done. LOL

      • Christin says:

        Maybe they can get a group discount for rehab.

    • Natalie S says:

      It’s a survival technique. They don’t want the situation to get worse. I’m not going to judge them for that.

      • HadleyB says:

        Yes. I think many of us had to do the same at work or similar situations. I have “laughed” it off and inside I was crying or boiling with anger but if you had been watching me or catching it on camera… it would of been like I had not minded.

        But I minded. I minded the comments, the innocent “hugs”, the pats on the back, the tickles to my neck, the back rubs, all of it. This past week I have thought about all the times in my work career I put up with comments, jokes, and touches being a woman. And how I hated it …and how even other women made me feel like crap if I mentioned it made me feel uncomfortable.

        And its taken me 15 years to even explain this to my husband who has known me since I was 21 about things that happened so long ago that I never told him about or complained about. I just thought I had to put up with it and move on.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Exactly, Natalie.

        “And its taken me 15 years to even explain this to my husband who has known me since I was 21 about things that happened so long ago that I never told him about or complained about. I just thought I had to put up with it and move on.”

        Damn, this strikes a chord! This is me, too. I didn’t expect it to happen, but by BF of over 15 years was talking to me about the Harvey Weinstein tapes, and I started bawling out of nowhere. He said that it was horrible listening to Harvey trying to negotiate to prey on the woman, and her trying to strategize for her safety. My tears came from nowhere, and I said “That’s what it is like to be a woman.”

    • CommentingBunny says:

      Nikki, I get what you’re saying. It’s infuriating that we as women have been trained to play nice when situations like this happen. It’s infuriating that we have to – because if we don’t the consequences will be dire. It’s infuriating that we can’t just say “fuck politeness” and kick up a fuss. I’ve had that same “laugh it off” response and I’m furious on my own behalf too – not at myself or those victims but at society and rape culture and everything else that makes it impossible for victims to ever EVER have a good option.

      • Nikki says:

        That is exactly what I meant to say, CommentingBunny, but you said it SO much better than I did! Thanks..

    • raptor says:

      It’s worth remembering that there are three different responses to threatening situations: fight, flight, and freeze. It’s incredibly common for women who are being assaulted to have the third response. It’s rarely something they can control.

      • xena says:

        Totally agree. One cannot control freezing and it happens in wanted sexual situations too – thats usually something that made men angry with me in such a situation. It is really difficult to overcome, even for someone like me who has the tendency to go first into the confrontation. The problem is also that fighting and fleeing usually provokes physical movement from the aggressor and well some of them do not have the boundaries not to hit you. It’s rare in a public situation but even then other people rarely interfere in such a groping situation. One is often physically and mentally on ones own in such a moment.

    • PPP says:

      First, laughing it off is an automatic response. While men have a fight-or-flight response, a lot of women have a tend-and-befriend instinct when in dangerous or uncomfortable situations. It’s a survival tactic. I mean, look at the situation. Hilarie Burton is young, like, a VJ? No power, barely known. Affleck is and up and coming star. She might have been laughing, but listen to her words on the video. “I would have preferred a high five.” She spoke out against that as much as she felt she could at the time.

      Empathy, y’all. Empathy towards victims is a much more productive way to understand assault and the contexts conducive to it.

      • Nikki says:

        I’m very sorry if it seemed I was criticizing the victims: I DEFINITELY wasn’t! I’m furious and bemoaning the fact that as women we have been put in the position – through years of conditioning and experience – that we can’t react with the appropriate RAGE.

    • Teebee says:

      If you haven’t been in that situation than you really cannot blame the women for their behaviour. I imagine that if the reporter had stood up to Affleck, right there on camera, he would have been embarrassed. The interview may have been able to continue, after Affleck settles down, but he wouldn’t forget that memoent. Once the camera is off, he goes to his agent/manager with a “WTF! I was just having fun, and that uptight little bitch shuts me down? I better not see her again anytime soon!”

      Boom. Her career is off track, if not over, Affleck is reassured of his sexual prowess, and masculinity. Wash, rinse and repeat.

      I have friends that have described similar situations, and the hamster wheel speed of thoughts running through their minds. What do I do? This is gross! But he’s a friend of my boss, who is right over there… I don’t want to embarrass anyone! I’ll get in trouble! I just hope this ends soon. The moment does eventually end, as they gamefully disentangle themselves from the assailant. They walk away feeling dirty and disgusted, disillusioned by their superiors, but helpless to do anything. Except go home and vent to their family and friends.

      I was fortunate to counsel someone to quit their job. I accompanied her to her workplace, as she resigned, waited for her final check. The lame excuse (because her boss KNEW it was wrong) was something to the effect of “we need to get better at managing situations like this… mumble mumble”. I stood close by, arms folded, tapping my foot, harrumphing, ready to intervene should anyone make her feel like she was making a big deal out of nothing.

      This environment of power abuse, abuse against women exists on all levels, in every small town, in every glittering metropolis. The stories are similar, but the variety of responses seems staggering! We need to support the victims, at whatever stage they’re ready and willing to be supported. If it’s 1 minute after, or 20 years later, we need to listen, be compassionate and understanding.

      Affleck is a pig. Harvey Weinstein a disgusting criminal, and Hollywood an enabling swamp. Dream factory, my ass. Soul crusher, exploiter more like it.

    • perplexed says:

      She did appear to show her disdain when she said she would have preferred a “high-five”.

      She must not have known what to do when the incident initially happened, but when she discussed it afterwards she seemed grossed out.

    • Bitsy says:

      I’m sure they wanted to respond with a WTF!!! But we all know it’s so much more complex. Women ar taught to be nice at all costs, especially back then. She was doing what she thought wouldn’t cost her a paycheck. I believe that every woman born before 2000 has dealt with this sexist male harassment at some point, and from elementary on we’re told to be cool, take it in stride, don’t be a B. I was written up at my first job because a client complained about my negative attitude. That client asked met on a date (during work hours) and i refused. My boss knew and didn’t care.
      Fortunately, it seems society really is making strides in its treatment of women. I think younger generations are much more concious of
      appropriate respectful behavior towards women. The young girls I see in schools today and starting out in corporate positions don’t seem burdened with being told to be nice.

    • MoreSalt says:

      @ Nikki – “Would a man smile embarassedly if another man fondled his privates?” Well, yes. Actually.

      https://pagesix.com/2017/10/10/terry-crews-details-alleged-sexual-assault-by-high-level-hollywood-exec/

      I’ve been harassed at work, and didn’t speak up because I needed my job. I’m embarrassed about it, because I consider myself a strong woman, but I can’t pay my mortgage with my principles. I don’t feel you’re victim blaming, but I definitely feel shamed after reading your comment. Terry Crews explains nicely.

      • Nikki says:

        Oh MoreSalt, please don’t let MY poor wording cause YOU any shame!! I am terribly sorry my ignorance reignited your pain; I was raped as a 14 year old and never told a soul for many many years. I truly only meant I want a world where victims of this outrageous behavior can react with ANGER, not tinged at all with niceness, politeness, humor, or especially shame. I know this isn’t realistic, because as long as powerful people prey on those with less power, how can the preyed upon fight back fully? But this week’s posts have made me SO outraged and sickened. I still am going to hope for a world where our rights are clearly ingrained in children, AND that we as a society follow through hard in these situations where abuse comes to light to make it clear that we won’t tolerate it. Please forgive my clumsy wording, all.

  14. Talie says:

    There’s so much tea being spilled it’s hard to keep track! Chris Hayes said last night that this could be a dam breaking for Hollywood similar to the Catholic Church and their scandals. It seems like actresses are absolutely done with the BS.

  15. Carmen says:

    He didn’t realize how bad Weinstein’s behavior was? What did he think it was, a little harmless making out?

    • Bridget says:

      What that means is, no one thought it was a big deal when Weinstein was extorting sexual favors in return for career advancement, as long as the women were pressured into saying “yes”.

      • Jules343 says:

        Exactly this.

        The rumours that were out there, fully out there, were that he traded roles and award campaigns for sex. That’s what people are saying they’d heard of but weren’t particularly worried about. Now we know it was far, far worse than that, but even if it was ‘only’ that, it’s not ok.

        His job was to help select and sign actors on for the films he produced. His job was to support them through award season. This wasn’t some favour he was doing a select few, this was his job, a job he did for male actors and older female actors without any expectation of a quid pro quo. Women shouldn’t have to sleep with a man to get him to do his damn job. It’s coercion, plain and simple.

        For some reason people think of this kind of thing differently when it’s a well-paying job. If it was a supermarket manager telling women they had to give him a blowjob to get a cashier’s job, and do more to get the best shifts or a promotion, people would get that that’s a million miles away from ok. But make it a role in a movie and an Oscar, and people act like it’s all cool and consensual. That needs to stop.

      • Mami says:

        Jules343, I’m in agreement overall and think you’ve put it all so well. The whole sordid thing disgusts me. But I did think it might be helpful to add that part of what we are dealing with is the whole rotten structure: it is true that Weinstein didn’t force or coerce men or older women into sex acts BUT he did coerce them into covering for him or not publicly ratting him out. I’m not saying that Ben or Matt are the real victims here– Ben’s own behavior makes him a predator– but this illness of sexual assault among people who know one another often ropes whole communities into its dysfunction.

      • Sky says:

        @ Jules343

        👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I couldn’t love this comment more.

      • Bridget says:

        What’s killing me is that the narrative of “I heard the rumors but didn’t know it was THIS bad” treats Weinstein as though he’s only a predator because he forced women into sexual acts. He’s a predator because he systemically used his position of power to exploit women. Some said “no” and were retaliated against. And some said “yes”. Of those women, there were likely some wild successes, but there were also likely women who traded their bodies for what turned out to be opportunities that didn’t pan out. But success or not, IT WAS STILL ILLEGAL. Harvey Weinstein wasn’t just a dog, people didn’t just hear casting couch rumors, what they heard about was someone who was a serial sexual harasser who used his power to exploit countless women.

  16. Whatever Gurl says:

    Don’t forget how Ben for years whined that Jennifer Lopez brought him down, and how his association with her hurt his career!

    He has always been an ass.

  17. Rose says:

    I’ve got so much admiration for Rose McGowan and now, knowing what we do, I keep thinking of the jaded character she plays in Black Dahlia and how much of her own experience she must have brought to that role

  18. Samantha says:

    Casey has had icky interactions with journalists too. Not groping level but still icky.
    This particular video shows me what a poor sense of boundary he has, both Afflecks do:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dbH-7IUsYo

  19. detritus says:

    This is how some men, some people are.
    Oh he raped you, put you in a horrible position, grabbed your breasts without consent on national tv, I’ll tell him to do better.
    That’s how normalized this is. Like it’s someone putting their foot in their mouth, or forgetting to write a thank you card.

    Man up @ssholes. It may mean owning your own sh*tty behaviour, but stop minimizing this stuff and start being part of the solution.

    And Rose? Keep on slaying you bad@ss b*tch.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      Rose is my new spirit animal. I was crazy nuts about her on Charmed (yes, I loved that show).

      In my experience, and I’ve said this on here before, the sad, vast majority of men are sexist douchebags. Maybe not when they’re in a mixed group or alone with a woman. But in a pack? It only takes one to say something douchebaggy and horrible and the floodgates open. Especially when alcohol is involved. Ask ANY bartender, especially the female ones. Waitresses. I will never be able to un-hear the sh*t I was subjected to during my 4 years behind a bar. And that’s not even including the “offers” I got or the inappropriate hugs and kisses I got while at work.

      • Ladidah says:

        A powerful twitter thread, seriously one of the most powerful I have ever read: https://mobile.twitter.com/theAfroLegalise/status/763474336216821760

        And if someone wants to come on here and spout #NotAllMen, please, save it for another day. Hug the men or yourself if you are a man. No need to garner praise from us for decent humans.

      • detritus says:

        #yesallwomen. I bartended and waitstaffed, theres always something eh? For me the kilt uniform restaurant was the worst. Quelle surprise.

        Ladidah, that thread is fire. To be told you need to put up with that, to raise a man to be a partner? Nah. Nope. No thank you. That was his parents job.

    • Asiyah says:

      Yup. They want to be “heroes” so badly and think “if I just speak, he’ll listen, and she’ll be ok.” NO. Especially when you yourself have your own issues with women. My ex always wanted to save me from the abuse of others and acted like if he took care of things my life would be much better, meanwhile he was a) my biggest abuser and b) not as “influential” as he thinks. You can’t change people like that.

      • detritus says:

        You’re so right.
        It’s a particular kind of hubris. That deep type of behaviour, based on flawed belief systems, that’s incredibly hard to change.

        By saying you’ll just step in and have a chat with them, it simultaneously diminishes the threat and damage (nothing short of intense voluntary therapy works) and it implies superiority (I’ll take care of this because you can’t). Paternalism, ego and control issues all rolled into one.
        And I’m so sorry you had to deal with anything like that. I’m really glad he’s an ex.

  20. serena says:

    The dirt is coming out and, boy, am I glad it is. It’s about time! I believe many Hollywood men (and some women) with power KNEW and turned a blind eye because it didn’t touch them personally. Like Affleck, it doesn’t help that he himself seems to have problems in that area too (cheating, sexual harrassing, groping).
    He needs to go away.

    By the way, I didn’t know about what he did to Burton.. he’s really trash. I feel sorry for her.

  21. SM says:

    Clearly most men in Hollywood have no balls. Why not come out and say you knew or at least heard about this? We all understand that none of them could have opposed Harvey without loosing their carrieres. I think most people understand that and so given that this is the reality, that most of people will compomise with their principles for their goals and wellbeing, why not to use this opportunity and talk about that – how the power structures work and how to break them without loosing your carriere in the process. Because this is the main thing that sustains the practice of abuse and the culture of silence. But then of course yoy would actualy would have to care not just use every opportunity to advance your image of morality

  22. Natalie S says:

    Grabbing Hilarie Burton like that is sexual assault. Both videos are terrible. If Ben felt bold enough to do that on camera, he’s done much darker things in private. Ben Affleck is cancelled.

  23. so says:

    As far as I’m concerned, both Affleck brothers are cancelled. Gross human beings.

  24. ACaffeinatedWandress says:

    “Goddamn, I told him to stop doing that!’ about freaking rape?

    Are you kidding me?

    She could have been forgiven for stabbing the guy. I hope DC kicks him out. He’s blown his shitty career for the final time.

  25. Merritt says:

    Of course Ben knew. And Ben has sexually harassed women too. I hope his career is destroyed too. He was already on a downward spiral, he brought all of it on himself.

  26. TaraS says:

    That sound you hear is Ben Affleck’s career’s death rattle. It’s gasping for those last few breaths. Bye bye, Ben. No more Oscars for you. If he wasn’t officially out as Batman before this, he’s definitely out now. He picked the wrong time to quit drinking. He’s seriously soooooo sleazy AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. I’m giving major side-eye to anyone who has spent significant time with him voluntarily.

    • Jules343 says:

      I really hope he (and his brother) do get brought down in this. They’re disgusting.

      But even without that, Ben should be done. All the crap he’s pulled with Batman, all the delays, all the adjustments, all the money he’s cost, and now he’s leaving…and to top it off the films don’t/won’t even live up to financial or critical expectations? That alone should sink him. It would sink any actress.

  27. Nora says:

    I despise him and Casey and Damon.

  28. CommentingBunny says:

    I’ve never seen those videos before. I feel sick and shocked and yet somehow not at all surprised.

  29. kibbles says:

    I love Rose McGowan for calling some of these celebrities out. I truly believe that Affleck and Damon absolutely knew about Weinstein. I think Clooney either knew and had heard specific stories from other actors, or at least had a strong inkling. As I commented yesterday, I have a hard time believing most of the A-list actors and actresses who have come out to say they did not experience anything, therefore, they did not know. Even if they were not the ones on the receiving end, I am willing to bet that most of them knew. I’ll give more leeway to foreign actors who spent most of their time outside of LA, like Colin Firth, but come on, they probably heard the rumors too. Thank you Rose McGowan for taking some of these actors to tasks. #TheyKnew

    • felixswan2 says:

      Totally Kibbles. They knew! #TheyKnew

    • PPP says:

      Rose McGowan is a fucking BADASS. I am acquiring so many new heroes throughout this mess.

      • Indigo says:

        There is no way that George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck didn’t know – they heard directly from AT LEAST Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow AND Angelina Jolie. It is a fact that most men do not hold other men to account for bad behavior. It is a LIE to say if they had known, they would’ve done something to stop it – because they KNEW AND THEY DIDN’T, in spite of their own considerable privilege and power. I don’t know if it was fear or threat of retaliation or condoning the behavior.

  30. Iknowwhatboyslike says:

    Ben Affleck is not a good guy. Whenever I look at him, I see everything that’s wrong with male patriarchy. The entitlement. The privilege of being white and male (I know sexual predators come in every color, but in speaking about men in HOlloywood, the power structure, they are mostly white). They have these delicate egos, that need validation all the time, whether sexually or emotionally and not in good ways. Ben and Harvey need Iyanla Vanzant in their lives. She will tell them that they are boys, who need validation and their validation comes from emotionally and/or physically causing harm to people they feel are weaker than them. They are hurting people just because they can. They are all Trumps. It makes me sick imagining these two hypocrites clutching their pearls after hearing Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood tape. I hope they weren’t talking about how disgusting it was. Because everything Trump said, Harvey and Ben, by looking at these videos, do believe that when you’re a rich and powerful man, women will let you do whatever you want to them. I have daughters! Being paid unwanted attention has been the most vulnerable moments in my life. I don’t want this for them or any other person. Ever! When I think about Gwyneth saying “Uncle Harvey” did this. I cried!

    P.S. How much do you think Ben wishes he had Jen on his side right now?

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      PPS How much do you think Jen is glad she does not have to be at Ben’s side right now?

      • Lady D says:

        I’m thinking tears of gratitude mixed with unwanted tears of absolute fury over how it will affect their girls.

      • TaraS says:

        Yeah I’m surrrrre she’s celebrating. RME. She pushed out a few kids with this sleazy loser who is now rightly getting taken to task and this is yet another scandal that they’ll have to go through. Someone’s going to have to explain why Daddy was groping women and making fun of a sexual assault.

  31. xena says:

    I am with Rose and at this very moment I am asking myself if she shouldn’t have gotten more support over the last years. Gossip sites also do have an impact on public perception, maybe I should have commented earlier and in support of her?
    And it is so true, men rarely get involved if other men harass women. When I think of school, boys for example were never called out for “boystalk” behaviour or for rating girls according to appearance. The girls were advised to ignore it. It is somehow accepted that women and girls have to put up with being harassed and assaulted and that it is their duty to protect themselves, not that they can accept being protected. And this actors comment along this lines.
    Until Rose called him out, I considered Bens statement better than Clooneys though. Now I am confused and sad. And I don’t want them and other Hollywoodpeople to get out of this just with this statements. As I said before, I also expect the labour unions to at least attempt to establish protection measures against couchcasting.

    • Bridget says:

      Rose only came out with her story about a year ago. I don’t think anyone had a clue that she was a survivor of assault until she said so (apparently the late 90s were great for hiding stuff).

      • H says:

        I think when Rose decided to quit acting and move into directing, she had no f*cks left to give by breaking her silence. This could still hurt her directing career, but hey after being raped by that fat pig, then have your finance sell your movie to your rapist??? I don’t blame Rose for wanting to burn that town to the ground. #rosearmy #TheyKnew

      • Bridget says:

        I think some of it was fear of legal retaliation too. That settlement had an NDA attached, reportedly, and it would have been EXPENSIVE to fight in court, regardless of whether it was enforceable. Not to mention the court of public opinion, since Rose is (like all people) imperfect. The truth is, I don’t blame her for not feeling like she could say anything, Harvey Weinstein was by all accounts a terrifying man. I’m simply pointing out that her assault wasn’t public knowledge until fairly recently.

    • xena says:

      Thank you for clarifying. I don’t remember when I first read about Rose, I thought it was 2 or 3 years ago, but I am not at all sure about it now. I thought it must have been a bit longer ago because others on this commented along the lines, that she was saying something happened to her for years now.

  32. lala says:

    I remember being a kid watching MusiquePlus (in Quebec) and seeing Ben acting really inappropriately with journalist Anne-Marie Losique, it made me so uncomfortable. i’m glad you posted that clip of her.

  33. ell says:

    i never knew this happened because i’m not american so i never got to watch mtv us, BUT. i was very young when one tree hill was on and i was such a peyton stan, so i will always have a soft spot for hilarie. so proud of her.

    ben affleck has been cancelled since ever, but one thing is being an asshole, another is touching women without their consent. disgusting.

  34. Madly says:

    How stupid, arrogant, and entitled do you have to be to act like that on camera! He is such a mess. No excuses.

  35. ANOTHER DAY says:

    I naively and stupidly had a soft spot for Ben for a long time.

    Glad that shits over.

  36. Jazz says:

    Ugh, that video where he’s pulling the reporter onto his lap is uncomfortable to watch. A guy did that to me years ago, and when I told people the first thing my sister said was “What were you wearing?” I was neck to ankle covered up! I felt like I had to explain to people I hadn’t done anything to lead him on. Then my aunt said about me “Doesn’t she know about boys?” I was mortified and angry about the whole thing but no one else shared my outrage.

    Oh, and screw Batfleck too.

    • Christina says:

      I feel you, Jazz. I’m so sorry you had to endure that. You were violated , and then mentally violated again.

  37. Freddy Spaghetti says:

    I had no idea he’d groped Hilarie *on camera.* Ugh. She was so young and had no power at all! I think he’s been a d&ck his whole life now. I loathe him even more than before.

    And go Rose!!

  38. B n A fn says:

    They are all in that club, rich, a star and famous, they will do what they want to do. women will let will them grab them by the breast, the p$$$y ect because they are stars. How can BA, MD now say they did not know and are shocked, a bunch of hypocrites.

  39. Horse Marine says:

    I believe Rose. You knew, Batfleck. Lying coward. I’d have more respect if he at least admitted he knew. George Clooney isn’t perfect, but he has more integrity than the Boston boys.

    F*ck Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

  40. jugil1 says:

    I love that Rose McGowan is spilling the tea on all of them. She tweeted yesterday exactly what Ben said to her after she told him what happened to her. Ben is a liar as is Matt Damon.

    I really & truly have so much respect for Rose, Ashley, Ambra & all of the women that are coming forward to tell their stories. Honestly, I just want to hug them all for what they have been through.

  41. Christina says:

    WTF, CB? Grabbing breasts may not be rape, but, when it happens, especial at work, and no one believes you, and your job is on the line, it’s a psychological nightmare!!! It’s happened to me. I’ve been sexually harassed at EVERY JOB I’VE HAD since I was 14 years old except for two, and I am 49 now. In the cases where the men had power, it was scary. I once was traumatized by the retaliation of a man who decided I needed to be punished for not going out with him, I simply didn’t return to my well-paying job after HR called to give me the news that that harassment didn’t happen. It’s societal gaslighting. What Affleck did, when it happens to a woman over and over and over by multiple men in multiple industries can be devastating.

    • Neens says:

      That was my first thought as well. The author of this article needs to be called out for minimizing Affleck’s predatory actions.

    • Felicia says:

      THIS! EVERY single job I had until I decided to start working for myself. And that also included one female boss.

  42. lyla says:

    ugh. gross. now i know why there’s a reason i never liked affleck (or damon).

  43. TaraS says:

    Oh and Jennifer Garner can fuck right off for protecting Ben for 10 years with their fake white picket fence charade. She’s another enabler of thsi sleazebag and his image. The “PR Maven” that everyone admires so much for her wizardry was protecting a sexual HARASSER.

    • Sophia's Side eye says:

      Why don’t you try blaming the man himself instead of the nearest woman?

    • Annetommy says:

      Oh leave the woman alone ffs.

    • Jerusha says:

      That’s very funny, given that the comments on the Mrs. Weinstein thread are overwhelmingly sympathetic, of the “maybe she didn’t really know” variety. Have you visited it to tell her to fuck off, or is it just your Jennifer hatred you need to express? I know, I know, JG is the only woman in the world who has ever fallen for a rotten guy.🙄🙄🙄

      PS. Just visited the Chapman thread and not one word from you about her enabling her pig husband, posing on red carpets, forcing her dowdy clothes on actresses, having children with him, marrying him when even those of us in the hinterlands knew about his reputation. Please don’t savage one wife and give the other a pass. Maybe they’re both victims of their emotions,

    • Ana says:

      @tara
      You need to examine your head. You are way out of line here. Blame the man directly!

  44. Sigh... says:

    Man, no telling WHAT his sober coach is trying to talk him down/away from since McGowan called him out.

    And WB/DC is probably bouncing off the walls right now, cuz I doubt stuffing him in a suit and propping him up next to media-darling WW/Gadot during JL junkets is gonna save him this time.

    And still, he’ll know only a *modicum* of what those hushed/ignored victims experienced. He’s ALREADY a multimillionaire “made man” in HW, always having apologists, protectors, and well-wishers (yes men) who’ll facilitate his PR-driven Redemption Tour and comeback. And even if he walks away or is pushed out, he has everything at his disposal to live a quiet, “healthy” life. Those women did/will not have ANY of that.

    • Bridget says:

      As I’m guessing you would agree, I have no sympathy there. WB has spent years taking care of their golden boy. Life’s tough when you have to face consequences.

      • Sigh... says:

        Yuuup. Not one ounce of sympathy from me. For WB, who could even GUESS how many other KNOWN predators they’re NOW employing and associating with, as long as they’re *profitting*
        predatory studio executives, directors, producers, screenwriters, actors, etc. The circle is vicious, but tight.

        And it is NOT in a vacuum…

  45. Unicorn_Realist says:

    #menneedtodobetter

  46. Andrea says:

    The fact that we are just talking about these incidents with Ben now is alarming on so many levels.

  47. Flipper says:

    Affleck is a pig – period.

  48. Bishg says:

    Wow, it’s impressing to see how much times have changed in just over a decade. In the video Burton seemed to be “nonchalant” about the assault, she has this awkward “easy-breezy” attitude. I am in no way blaming her for it, and I am sure she must have been feeling terrible just recalling the incident. I’m just pointing out that what is unacceptable and gross and a cause of so much indignation now, used to be something to laugh and be silly about on tv.
    I think I remember that those were also the times of the “Girls gone wild” videos; the public opinion was very much less protective of women and far less aware of what constituted sexual abuse/harassment. I am so happy that times, even if slowly, have been changing and we need to help all the other victims of abuse out there feeling safe, heard and taken care of.

  49. Andrea says:

    The second video…there are no words. Can someone explain to me how prissy Paltrow and saint Jennifer got with him? I get jlo has bad tastes in men, but honestly…. I used to think he was charismatic but not after these videos.

  50. Ivy says:

    These Affleck bros are so gross.

  51. LittlefishMom says:

    Is anyone really shocked about Ben? He supports his brother, and we all know that story.

  52. Louisa says:

    He has just tweeted a lame apology to Hilarie Burton.

    • Sky says:

      Really he tweeted a apology. I can’t even with that and the the tweet alone was a PR move I got him being truly sorry for sexually assaulting her.

    • Sigh... says:

      Aaaand The Redemption Tour rolls on (& over)…

  53. Claudia says:

    Jen just keeps posting stupid, self-promoting BS on her instagram, nope, no sex scandal in her own industry to see here, her world is all hearts and rainbows! Not a word about her colleagues who were victimized, or the fact that her husband abused some. What a fraud and a phony. I hope this keeps her up nights.

    • Sky says:

      Wait she on social media now. I don’t expect her to respond to any of it. She not one to speak out against Injustice if it doesn’t have to do with the paparazzi she uses.

      What can she say about Ben, he still the father for kids.

  54. Mrs.Krabapple says:

    So many disgusting people in Hollywood. SO. MANY. I don’t even want to watch movies anymore.

    • Jayna says:

      If we only knew the half of it. And how disappointing to find a convicted child molester goes to jail, doesn’t work in Hollywood for five years, yet then gets back into Hollywood, writes and directs movies And it was no hidden secret. His past was written about when he did movies again. And guess who had no problem working with him? Rose McGowan in 2011. See, all the great things she is doing now, and yet she will work with a known child molester? How was he even allowed to get back into Hollywood? God, even Rose is disappointing. Child molesters can never be rehabilitated and what they do is indefensible. He’s a predator. And the kid was a 12-year-old actor on this guy’s movie set. Hollywood doesn’t have any morals. This guy has made them a lot of money with his Jeepers Creepers movies. I guess that’s all that counts.

      n 1988, Salva was convicted of sexual misconduct with one of Clownhouse’s underage stars – a 12-year-old boy – including videotaping one of the encounters.[ Commercial videotapes and magazines containing child pornography were also found in his home. Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under 14, and procuring a child for pornography.[

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        I did not know about this. I’m glad some people don’t forget, and hope they will continue to post and call out the criminals in Hollywood. I am willing to stop watching ALL movies at this point, if it helps keep money away from these predators.

      • Justjj says:

        SO disturbing and sad. Ugh. I have a feeling we can’t imagine the extent of it. Turns my stomach.

  55. Brittney B says:

    I follow gossip pretty closely and cannot BELIEVE I didn’t know about those two incidents in those videos… grabbing Hilarie and harassing the reporter. If any actor did that today, I’d like to *think* it would be big news and it would follow him forever. But then again, look at the White House.

  56. Rori says:

    God, that last video with the foreign journalist on his lap is nauseating. It’s so uncomfortable.

  57. magnoliarose says:

    Some of these revelations are upsetting, but it does mean this crap is being called out. We just won’t stand for it anymore but so much was ok for a long time. That part makes me sad because I remember laughing things off to diffuse an awkward situation.

    When we turn the page, I hope some guys just stay in the past. Ben Affleck is one of them. He’s a messy pain in the ass, and it is time for new more evolved guys with a better point of view to get a shot now. I have no patience for him and Damon and their boys game regression anymore.
    I can rethink someone if they are sincere and dedicated to being part of the solution and doing some soul searching but when they are this close to the scandal and are weak about it, then I have no more time.
    #reclaimingmytimeandmovingonfromharvey’sboys

    • Darla says:

      Do you think the new more evolved guys will stay evolved when they amass power?

      I didn’t think I could be shocked, but those stories up above about Clooney did it.

  58. Franny says:

    The bro culture needs to burn.

  59. JRenee says:

    This is not grab popcorn and follow type of scandal. My mouth is agape with all of the horror I’ve read over the last 48 hours. It just gets worse with every new update.
    I’m not sure how this started, whether it was Bob Weinstein or not, but someone will need to do a spreadsheet to keep up with all of the abusers that are being exposed.
    I’m not here for excuses, fake apologies or lies and denials. This should end careers and not those of the victims!

  60. Bliss 51 says:

    I sent a link but never thee mind, I should have read your story first!

  61. JoJo says:

    I don’t know. I’m not going full on for the witch hunt. Not all behavior is equal. None of these actions by Ben are new or shocking, and they were out in the open and on film. The TV reporter interview was public knowledge years ago – right before Garner married him. The reporter has now come out defending Affleck (weird yes, but different culture maybe…). Doesn’t excuse the behavior whatsoever, but to me, Ben’s actions are more similar to those of an obnoxious and entitled frat boy vs. those of Weinstein (rape, forcing women to watch sexual acts, conducted in secret, under the implied threat of affecting women’s careers.)

    • Jayna says:

      No, I remember when that video surfaced way back when, it died down after Canadians would post that this isn’t unusual for her, the type of shows she does, that it wasn’t one-sided, that she produced the show, etc. So I believe her statement, that she planned the interview to be like that, when you read this about her type of shows.

      “Losique studied theatre at La Sorbonne in Paris. She first became famous as the host of Box-office, a cinema television magazine. Quebec comedians soon parodied her as a ditzy gal with the perpetual giggles (something she has been known for), but later ventures showed her potential as a businesswoman, now producing a vast array of trendy television shows through IDI seen across Canada.

      “She also produced songs (dance music and other) and shot risqué music videos. She also shot one for a retake on Brigitte Bardot’s Tu veux ou tu veux pas, which is itself suggestive. [1] In her producing career, she has shown an interest for the sex industry, hosting some of her sex-related shows herself. This earned her to be called “Sex mogul” in an article of alternative weekly

      “Her propensity for seductive provocation has created an image and a slight controversy, which she parodied in her mockumentary Bimbo, fantasmes et réalité.”

      I remember that this was during his final flop in a series of flops, Jersey Girl, the final nail in the coffin, when everybody was saying he was over. It is concerning to see how high he was and as a movie star using such poor judgment. Self-medicating, I suppose.

    • Ana says:

      There is more to come.

      • Jayna says:

        Ben will be off to rehab quicker than Harvey gets there at this point. Harvey is dragging his feet. Ben probably wants to go and hide.. Oh, wait, he has The Justice League promotion. The movie opens November 17. He can quickly go for a three-week stay, I guess, so they can do damage control by making the announcement .

  62. I Choose Me says:

    Wow. Just wow. He admitted to her face that he knew and has sexually assaulted women in the past (those videos make so angry for those women) and still has the nerve to put out that generic ass statement? Drag him Rose. Drag him!!