Yesterday, I gave Georgina Chapman (I literally almost just wrote “Melania Trump”) some advice: get out while the getting is good. My advice was that nothing would save her fashion line, Marchesa, and no amount of humiliation and complicity was worth all of this. Well, she took my advice! I’m taking the win here.
Harvey Weinstein’s wife, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, is leaving him — as more women continue to step forward to accuse the movie mogul of decades of sexual harassment and assault. Weinstein, 65, and Chapman, 41, married in 2007 and have two children together — India Pearl, 7, and Dashiell Max Robert, 4.
“My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time,” Chapman says in a statement to PEOPLE.
There are plans for Weinstein to enter a treatment facility — but the mogul, who has been staying at a Los Angeles hotel, has not left yet, according to a source.
My guess/hope is that Georgina just takes the kids and leaves the country for a short time while all of these stories are coming out. She’s British – maybe just go back to the UK, hide out in the English countryside for several months, meet with lawyers, figure out what to do next. I’m sure some/many will say that Georgina was complicit, that she knew about everything and did nothing for years. I think Georgina knew that her husband was a womanizer and a cheater, absolutely. But I kind of have my doubts that she knew he was an alleged sexual predator, an alleged rapist and alleged sexual assailant. Plus, we honestly don’t know what their marriage was like behind closed doors. Maybe Georgina will have her own stories to tell in the future.
Meanwhile, “sources” want you to know that for real this time, Harvey is going to enter a residential treatment facility. I don’t know if traditional rehab will do much for this kind of decades-long sexual perversion. I mean, yes, he should be under the care of professional psychiatrists, but let’s not wrap this up in some kind of “well, he was a sex addict!” bow. Maybe he is a sex addict. But that’s separate from him being a decades-long abuser of women, a serial sexual harasser, a rapist and a sexual assailant.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
How could she not have known?
It’s not uncommon. There’s women who lived with sexual offenders for decades and weren’t aware of their crimes.
I can see that she might not have known — but I cannot help but note that unlike other predators one hears about, this was a very well known man and the rumors were in print and in conversation for years upon years, particularly in LA and NYC and London. Perhaps she asked, and he denied with skill.
When your husband has to settle out of court eight times for sexual harassment you know.
I see your point, Enough Already. I think I’d know, but I’m a cynical, suspicious, nosy bitch. Some women aren’t. She had her business to run, her children, home… He had his long-standing businesses, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she knew very little. about his businesses. Those payouts would have been handled by his in-house lawyers, spic and span, job done. I doubt he’d even have mentioned any of it to her. He’s a manipulative, shifty, creepy, lying predator. They know exactly how to get around people, especially those who love them.
It seems as if she’s throwing him under the bus, but I guess she has no choice. He has completely humiliated and demeaned her and their children, and severely compromised her business. I’d have pushed him into the path of a fast-moving train.
There have been blind items about him for years. The only unknown were the victim’s names.
You’d be surprised (or maybe not) what women will convince themselves of when it comes to men. Denial is one helluva drug and it’s possible that if Weinstein framed the eight lawsuits as women targeting him for cash payouts because he’s powerful and wealthy she may have believed him. And maybe she DID know deep down but it was just more convenient for her to believe the lies.
Regardless, I’m not really into judging her right now as I still think the focus needs to stay squarely on Harvey Weinstein.
AnnaKist
I originally thought as you did but this woman lived and worked in LA and NYC where people succeed or fail through networking and yes, gossip. If you combine fashion and film, both industries she worked in, there is zero chance she did not know. Georgina wasn’t a suburban soccer mom putting a martini in her husband’s hand every evening at six o’clock. She worked in the same cess pools Weinstein did. In my opinion she probably prided herself on being smarter and more powerfully placed than her husband’s victims.
@kitten I totally agree with you.
Enough Already: Yes, there’s lots to consider. I totally see your point/s. Perhaps it’s as Kitten suggested – easier to live in denial. We are all just speculating and opining, and I’m with Kitten on where the focus should be right now. I’m loving all the different angles everyone brings to the discussion.
Annakist
Thank you for understanding that these are just opinions and thank you for being civil – a little kindness goes a long way.
Is anyone else worried Harvey may kill himself? If he does, the narrative around Georgina and the women who told their stories will do a 180. Given his ego, I tend to think utter disgrace is a temporary set back in his world view, but he’s a desperate man right now.
Megan, yes I actually thought that last night. His career is over, the marriage is now over, I’m sure a relationship with his children (at least the small ones) is over, his friendships are probably done since he’s made so many of his Hollywood buddies look bad. I thought he may take his life.
@Megan I thought that too until I read he’s fled to Europe. maybe he just won’t come back to life in the US. I could see him starting fresh somewhere else and never facing Hollywood again.
He’s grotesque and I feel bad for her sort of..but she’s not a third world sex worker with no visa. She had options.
@Megan-YES someone mentioned that possibility yesterday and it really stuck with me.
@Bettyrose-I completely understand what you’re saying and of course the fact that she’s privileged, well-off and beautiful doesn’t make her as sympathetic as a sex worker from a developing country, but we all know (actually judging by this thread maybe not all of us) that the reasons why women stay with men who commit infidelity or men who are abusive are extremely variable and complex.
This thread and most of the HW-related threads in this forum truly drive home how misunderstood abusive relationship dynamics are.
It’s not uncommon at all especially if they are with men like Harvey who are master manipulators. I have a friend whose boyfriend ended up convicted of rape but when it came up she couldn’t believe it. She even initially believed him that the girl was lying. Of course I told her what I think (I absolutely believed the woman), she came to her senses shortly after. But she was under his spell, and she knew he was a cheater but she never thought he would have actually been a rapist. She of course left him and it’s behind her. But this is why i can’t fault Georgina – we have no idea what she knew and what kind of power Harvey wielded over her.
@Kitten
You’re absolutely right, and ITA that the story shouldn’t be about his wife, however she handles this. But we live in bizarre times and I truly believe that our first lady was sex-trafficked into her current life (however gilded her cage now is) and I’m confused about what to feel when young, vibrant women end up in trophy-wife scenarios by choice. In any case, his disgusting behavior has nothing to do with her, and she was powerless whether or not she knew about it. I appreciate that she’s not an apologist.
She very well may not have known. Recall her statement about their getting together and her husband being someone who couldn’t be denied or something like that. For whatever reason, she received his attentions and pursuit as positive and not rapacious/bullying. This is likely due–at least partially–to a vulnerability of hers (psychologically/emotionally) that would make her blind to his abuse.
I have a dear friend who was sexually abused by her stepfather and stepbrother as a child. When she tried to tell her mother (while the abuse was ongoing) the mother was mainly concerned with what “other people” might believe about the family. This had me enraged and physically sickened when she relayed it to me 20-some years after the fact. My therapist explained to me that the mother (who has been sexually abused by her own father) had a literal blind spot for parental sexual abuse and could not see her daughter’s abuse that her daughter was explaining to her.
Point: even if she heard, Georgina may not have been able to process the information.
I’m going to guess they spent very little time together, it was a marriage of convenience, it made him look like a family man and she got a fashion line and bunch a famous woman wearing her clothes.
I do have empathy for her. I have no doubt she was manipulated, gas lighted, love bombed, negged and more over the course of years. When you are with men who are abusive predators, your own self worth and self esteem can become so eroded that you can’t see in front of you. It’s referred to as fog-fear, obligation, guilt. I’m sure he weaponized her fears against her and I’m sure she felt obligated to her children. Horribly sad. She is way too attractive for him, that’s clear! I love to hate on Marchesa but I wish her a lot of success from this or I hope she can just live peacefully. By all accounts he is a destructive narcissist, I know that word is thrown around a lot these days, but this is what true narcissistic personality disorder looks like, he also seems like a sociopath, they aren’t really capable of changing. I’m glad Georgina is leaving him!
Has it occurred to anyone that he could easily have been bullying and abusing her too? Imagine being married to that monster – I highly doubt she never bore the brunt of his violent temper and manipulation. I bet she married him because he charmed her and convinced her they could be a power couple – she could start her fashion line and have all the connections she ever dreamed of. But I’m sure the veneer wore thin very quickly and even if she knew about his behavior and/or experienced it herself, do you think he would just let her walk? No, I’m sure she’s been living under the threat of his retaliation for years. It’s not easy for anyone to walk away from their abuser, no matter the resources they have. I imagine she had to sign a pre-nup and I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe he threatened to take away her children and her business if she left him or went public with what she knew. Maybe she’ll give her own version of events one day.
@justjj – that covers it extremely well. I don’t know what to think about her…I am glad she’s split from him for sake of the kids.
She co-founded Marchesa before she and Harvey began dating.
I’m so tired of this that it isn’t funny. It’s very possible she didn’t know he was assaulting women. There’s a huge difference between a guy who cheats on his wife to a guy who rapes women. Women who are married to rapists often go through this very statement you just made and feel responsible. She most likely didn’t know. She didn’t know Harvey as a sexual predator, she knew Harvey as the great charmer. They often lead double lives and many people are their victims. While Georgiana wasn’t assaulted, she’s still a victim of Harvey.
Perfectly stated, Purplehazeforever.
Yes! About 8 years ago the police in my city caught a serial killer who had raped and murdered a few woman over the course of about 25 years. His wife and kids had NO idea. They were devastated. They ended up leaving town. These men are master liars and manipulators. It is very possible she didn’t know what was really happening. Cheating? I bet she knew. Raping? Maybe not.
Yes thank you for this.
Thank you purple haze. I’ve been with a guy who cheated on me the whole time we were together and I didn’t find out until five years later. I suspected but I never KNEW. It is possible, love is blind.
And I’m sure h was gaslighting her the whole time. He wasn’t having affairs per se, all of his interactions seemed completely non emotional except for anger and power.
i’m with you. surely she is also a victim of his abuse and bullying. incorrigible bullies usually don’t leave it all at work – you know?
no woman in this situation is responsible for harvey w. no victim of a crime or sexual antagonism is responsible for saving every other woman on earth. when that shit happens to you – you do what you have to do to survive. sometimes that means shutting your brain off and staying married (his wife). sometimes that means shutting your brain off and continuing to work (ala paltrow). sometimes it is telling yourself you wanted it and perpetuate and abusive relationship (ala asia argento). its complicated. its tragic and it isn’t any woman’s fault.
Yes, look at Dominique Strauss-Kahn, he was well known as a cheater to his wife, but she claims she never knew he assaulted and raped women.
Thank you! I know people mentioned how can’t she know about the 8 settlements? Well this occurred via his company. She wouldn’t be privy to the details of those settlements. She found out the same time we did. It’s not like he comes home and says, “Honey, I settled another sexual harassment suit at work today!”
I’m cutting her some slack here.
Yes, but most importantly to me: she’s has left him and stated her support for his victims.
Easily. If someone who’s relatively intelligent doesn’t want you to know something, most likely you won’t. It’s not like he took her along with him for these things. I remember going on a nice shopping trip with a guy I was dating. We had fun and talked about our future, blah blah blah. The next day, I found out he’d been arrested for threatening to kill his ex-wife and bashing up her minivan with a baseball bat. Found out he’d been harassing her for months; I’d had no idea.
Or maybe he was aggressive and bullying of her and she normalized his behavior out of fear and sheer exhaustion. He clearly is a malignant narcissist.
Especially if she had grown up with such behavior. Kids can live under horrible circumstances even when ostensibly comfortably middle-class or even in the rich category. I personally know three women who got married very young (one was only 12!) to get away from abusive fathers and one who had to escape an abusive batshit crazy mother (her husband, who was my friend, told me that he had to either marry her or adopt her …. only half-joking). You would never know from looking at them during the period they were abused that they were having any problems at home. It was just the norm for them.
If Melania and Ivanka are complicit then so is she.
Bingo. I love all the women on here who are trying to equate their cheating boyfriends with a guy who settled a sexual harassment lawsuit for almost every year he was married, who had multiple blinds written about what a pervert he was, which wasn’t a secret in their mutual industry, and who has had abusive letters that he wrote to his employees leaked onto the internet for years. Unless she can’t hear and doesn’t have access to the internet, there is simply no way that she was blissfully unaware of all of this. How could she possibly be the last person on earth to know?
Oh God this. Somehow we’re not allowed to assume anything bad about Chapman because why? On a gossip site we’re not supposed to discuss angles that run counter to the majority? I can’t believe criticizing Weinstein’s wife is the new victim blaming. Gross.
The difference between the Trump women and Georgina Chapman is that they actively defend everything their husband/father does. That’s what makes them complicit- not the fact that Melania married him or that Ivanka is his daughter.
Georgina’s complicity is a little bit harder to judge because she’s not defending him, (unlike opportunistic scumbag Lindsay Lohan) she’s not coming out trashing the victims or accusing them of lying, and she’s leaving him. I really don’t know what to make of her and her choices yet.
Assuming one way or the other about Georgina without more info is jumping the gun. At the least she chose to not look at things & was in denial. But not all women are abhorred by this kind of behavior. Women can be the victim of a man AND an a-hole who doesn’t care about other people’s abuse as well. Look how many voted for Trump. Some women want their men in power even (and sometimes especially) at the expense of other women.
The guy who abused me had a girlfriend who had no issues with twisting his crimes & even attacking his victims. She was like his permanent flying monkey on a string & he was hers as well. Some women know & support their men as long as their men have something for them. Some even jump at the chance to join the guy & think it shows their loyalty (see Harvey’s statement on her 100% support & their discussions….my eyebrow perked up).
Georgina may not have known & she may have known all. At least she has one bulb on & left him.
Extremely easily. If he’s even half as intelligent and manipulative as he’s portrayed, he could easily have led a double life, letting her see what he wants her to see and framing everything to suit himself. Denial is also an extremely powerful drug, as Kitten pointed out, and it can be so strong you don’t even realize you’re doing it.
Let’s assume, though, purely for the sake of argument, that she did know. What precisely was she supposed to do about it? Before you snort and scream “leave him!” just consider for a moment what that would entail. They have two young children, very likely an ironclad prenup, and let’s not forget the absolute power that Harvey, until very recently, wielded. The power dynamic between the two was/is vastly unequal. If she left, what would have happened? He would have dragged her name through the mud and crushed her like he crushed so many others. Who would have believed her, anyway? Alone, she could not have been the catalyst for all his garbage to be made public. He would have seen to that and leapt on her reputation like a beast, possibly going so far as to take her children away from her. Let’s not kid ourselves. This is 100% on Harvey, and even if you don’t like Georgina and have a ton of well I would have dones, he and he alone is responsible for his actions.
I think she suspected he was cheating on her. I doubt she knew he was a rapist.
Did anyone else notice that Harvey let it be know that he “told her to leave?” It was on the Daily Mail right after she announced she was leaving him, another article popped up stating he was the one who told her to leave.
That’s his controlling nature. He needs everyone to know that Georgina didn’t leave of her own accord, he told her to do it.
He’s such a pig.
Sure…..She didn’t know in the same way Jackie didn’t know about Maryilyn and JFK.
Please, this is her out! She probably knew , all of Hollywood and Celebitchy has whispered about Harvey’s exploits for years, but somehow his wifey didn’t know……..!
Are you going to do that weird thing you did on the J Law thread from yesterday and just repeat the same disgusting victim-blamey comment over and over again?
How much is Weinstein paying you exactly?
That was a weird glitch , I edited once, then my pad kept saying duplicate, so I’d go back to delete it, but then I looked and instead it had repeated the post several times.
I still stand by what I said in yesterday’s post, despite the weird glitch repeat.
Also I was waiting for someone in the hospital for hours and reading Celebitchy articles took my mind off of the sadness for a few hours, but the hospital connection was bad. Sorry if the repeated posts were troublesome.
Thanks for the explanation but it was the content of your comments that concerned me more than the repetition, which happens to the best of us.
Good decision.
Indeed. I thought she would leave him, just not right away. But she did the right thing.
She’s not doing the right thing, she’s doing the convenient thing. She willingly stayed with an abusive pos because it suited her narrative and now she’s divorcing him because it suits her narrative. She’s a shameless, self-serving opportunist and an enabler. And a shit designer.
Keep on blaming the women…
Do you know her personally? Because if not, you are making some huge, HUGE assumptions here.
Honest B
Blaming the women? Did you even read my comnent or did you just pick out the nouns and respond?
Kitten
I am judging her because I find it impossible that she didn’t know. I’ve thought about it a lot these past couple of days and I can’t come up with one scenario that excuses her staying with Weinstein. And I’m not shifting the narrative because the post us actually about Georgina. It’s disengenuous to ask me if I know her personally because none of us know these celebrities. Nearly everything said here is an assumption. As I said above, Georgina was no housewife who only had her husband’s version of how his day went. She was an industry insider. She knew.
Ok but I think there’s a huge difference between making an assumption about who a celebrity is dating, for instance, and declaring emphatically that a woman knew her husband was a serial rapist.
And while I get that you’re just offering your opinion, unfortunately that opinion is dangerous in that it perpetuates the *perfect victim* trope. There are many, many variables when it comes to the dynamics of an abusive relationship and how each person in the relationship handles that dynamic.
So maybe she knew and maybe she didn’t but either way, she and her children are being victimized by Weinstein’s actions. What got her to stay with him or even date him in the first place is really beside the point. JMO.
Oh I don’t know, @enoughalready, I can think of at least one scenario where she stays with him because, as a victim of his abuses of power herself, she is scared to leave. You need to check yourself with your victim blaming, or at the very least, your HUGE assumptions about her knowledge and actions.
Kitten
Unless Georgina claims abuse I won’t give her the sympathy and support I reserve for real victims. My opinion that she so far deserves not one ounce of my pity in no way is dangerous to abuse victims. Chapman is young and beautiful and we know little about her so she is now a victim? The same people drag Melania’s supposed victimhood every single time it is mentioned here. With the exception of the birther stuff you could insert Harvey and Georgina’s names in place of Donald and Melania’s and 97% of the story would still work. in my opinion Chapman is being infantalized and people’s anecdotal experiences are being superimposed over some hard to overlook facts. The children here are victims.
“Chapman is young and beautiful and we know little about her so she is now a victim?”
?? I don’t think that was the point that myself or anyone else here was making so I’m not sure why you brought her looks into it.
I simply said that she is a victim of his actions, whether you like her or not and whether you find her to be complicit or not. The sexual assaults did not occur because of Georgina but because of her husband. In the cases where Trump allegedly sexually assaulted various women, if it’s true (which I believe it is) then yes, Melania is also a victim of Trump’s infidelities.
Again, all your comments seem to insinuate that to be considered a victim one must be a good person, but that is simply not true. A victim is a person harmed as a result of a crime or other action. A victim is not a saint and the term “victim” is not a suggestion or a gauge of moral character.
Kitten
In order to take your responses completely seriously I would have to agree with you that Chapman is a victim and I don’t. Not going to backtrack on that without different info. Nothing I’ve seen indicates she is a victim. Your Melania example is horrible because you can’t be a victim of infidelity if you knew and didn’t care or excused it as boys will be boys. Just because you and others are giving Chapman the benefit of the doubt doesn’t mean I’m obligated to fall into line. Lastly, just because you insist on repeating that there are no perfect victims doesn’t mean you can successfully align me with people who victim shame. You can’t paint me with that brush no matter how much you consider Chapman to be a victim. My view remains: She knew. She profited. She stayed. He’s busted. She’s leaving.
Oh I get that you don’t *think* that she’s a victim but again, you don’t get to decide who is a victim or not.
Annabelle
Double standard much? Check your own assumptions before you come after me for mine. Until comes with abuse allegations then it is only your opinion that she is a victim as well. Give her your sympathy if you like but without more info I’m saving my support for women like McGowan.
Kitten
Actually I do get to decide because it’s an opinion. If she comes forward and says she’s been a victim then I’ll sympathize with her – that’s always my practice. Until then I’m free to look at what I know and interpret it for myself.
@Enough Already…You are blaming the women with your statement. You have no idea what Georgina knew or didn’t know about Harvey. You’d be amazed at the stories sociopaths can weave and the settlements everyone person keeps mentioning: no one knew about, outside of the Weinstein Company, until the story dropped. Why? Non disclosure agreements were signed and Harvey threatened to sue anyone who dared to violate it. So while you’re definitely entitled to your extremely ill informed and uniformed opinion, it’s still victim blaming. And you are blaming Georgina for Harvey’s actions. It’s ridiculous.
@Enough Already.. Harvey also threatened every single person that even dared to run any of these stories. He would shut down any stories of his bullying, sexual harassment, assault and any time he was turned down by an actress…he blocked their career. He exerted a lot of control, people were scared of him. If models and actresses were petrified of telling him no, it’s entirely possible his wife was too. I can make assumptions just like you are about her, too.
Purple
No. What’s ridiculous is you putting words in my mouth. How can a woman be responsible for what her husband does? Chapman is responsible for what she knew and did. I find those things to be reproachful. I don’t have to agree with you so feel free to form your own opinions. Key word here being opinions. As for ill-informed please tell me how your view of Chapman is sourced in a way that excludes your own “maybe” and “it’s possible that” scenarios. I’ll wait.
@enoughalready I’m just showing you the flaw in your argument. You don’t know her role either way so maybe you shouldn’t be speaking on a possible victim’s experience. I’m choosing to give all the women involved the benefit of the doubt, and I’m placing blame where it belongs- Harvey Weinstein and those in power around him.
The fact that you are spending this much time and energy trying to attack Miss Chapman instead of attacking what Harvey did… well it’s another form of misogyny.
Whether you believe that Harvey abused Georgina like he abused other women or not, you need to look at what Harvey’s crimes has plainly done to Georgina.
Many in her circle will probably distance themselves from her, because they won’t wish to be associated with Harvey’s scandal. Her own friends and family will gossip about everything behind her back. She will have to shield her young children from the worst stories as long as possible, try to soothe them as best she can, while fighting Harvey for full custody. If she’s to have any hope of saving her fashion line, she’ll have to work extremely hard – likely with little hope of success. Her financial future is uncertain. All because she married a man who turned out to be a serial rapist.
HOW can anyone say she’s not a victim?
Annabelle
Accusing me of misogyny is pathetic on every level. There are a ton of posts about this shit storm so unless you’re following my comments on all of them don’t act as if you know my thoughts on Weinstein. Nice attempt at an alt-argument though. If you don’t care as much as you accuse me of doing feel free to stop engaging with me. While you’re at it take at least half of your tears for Chapman and save them for That disgusting pig’s victims.
@enoughalready Thanks for proving my point. How are you so sure that Georgina Chapman is not also a victim of Harvey Weinstein’s abusive behavior? (Oftentimes the wife gets it the worst.)
And if Georgina Chapman is also a victim, are you not victim blaming with your numerous comments calling her a shameless gold digger and blaming her for staying with him? Is victim blaming not a form of misogyny? You’re proving the point many feminists have made throughout history that women can’t win no matter what they do.
You’re right about one thing, though: I am going to stop engaging with you. Maybe you’ll take a moment and think about where your source of misplaced anger on this subject is coming from. Have a good one ✌🏻❤️
@ enough already…you’re assuming she knew by saying she had to because Harvey settled out of court 8 times. My argument was the how the hell was she supposed to know when no one outside the company knew because NDAs were signed. Let me repeat it. Non-disclosure Agreement were signed with every woman who settled out of court. You’re also saying she had to know because she works in the industry….you don’t know what she had to know…you are victim blaming as she is one of Harvey’s victims, too. Until I see evidence otherwise, Harvey & only Harvey is responsible for what happened. I’m not holding anyone responsible for what they may or may not have known. Weinstein is a sociopath and terrified everyone he came into contact with. He abused people and destroyed anyone who tried to go against him. So yes you are victim blaming and trying to hold Georgina responsible for something here. That is what I find disturbing. Only one person is responsible for this: Harvey. The board is responsible for covering up his crimes. They absolutely knew and covered for him. But anyone else? Give me a break.
Preach to someone else. I don’t need lectures on feminism because my opinion differs from yours. It’s arrogant and presumptuous.
THIS!
Enough Already: you have been tearing up these boards all week. You have been on point and have amazing stamina. Gtfo people didn’t know. I 100% believe that she was willfully ignorant because it benefited her to talk herself into believing it was all lies. Same as everybody else. JLaw, Streep, Obama, Damon, Clinton. It’s disgusting, and it’s upsetting how commenters on here turn the other way because they like these people. It’s disgusting and it needs to stop. The thing that will really stop people like this is when they know that no one is going to accept it. When people know they are going to get called out for turning a blind eye. That is how the abusers of the world will be stopped- by knowing that there’s nowhere to hide.
@Enough Already… you have clearly never encountered a malignant narcissist or true sociopath. Good for you. The most disturbing thing about serial rapists, serial killers, serial sexual assailants, or practiced abusers is that they can hide in plain sight (and often do because the cover of powerful or well liked friends benefits them, therefore they are on their best behavior around people they can gain from or people who help their cover, but another person completely to a victim behind closed doors) and they plan their assault, victim, and means of silencing them in the event things don’t go according to plan to every last detail. A disturbing, obsessive, amount of detail and effort is put into their abuses and crimes. I bet a million dollars Harvey believes his wounded “Poor Harvey, sex addict, flawed human, father, humanitarian” narrative. I bet he absolutely thinks that organizing high level, impossible to prove, smear campaigns against the women who rejected or angered him is completely appropriate and that he was just paying compliments to women in exchange for string pulling, that all he did was justified and transactional. I bet he’s scrambling right now, like the rat he is to find out who he has left and how he can manipulate a way out of this, who he needs to pay off, and how he can smear those speaking out against him. I bet he’s scheming like crazy. I bet we’re in for the long haul. Did you read about how he brought up Ashley Judd’s childhood? This man is sick. He appears to be a sociopathic, manipulative, liar. His wife might have had an idea but every time he could have drug her back with manipulation, threats, and guilt, and he probably did a number on her self esteem and very sense of self. Stop blaming Georgina. She was married to a master manipulator and had children with him also, who knows how he used the children against her or what threats he many have made. She will have plenty of time to tell her side.
Steph
Thank you – this means a lot. Since this story really broke I’ve been sickened as the scope of it keeps enlarging and each new detail is more heartbreaking than the last. I’ve been horrified because my 13 year old niece is looking at a costume design major in college and the thought that she could encounter a Weinstein in the future has really, really got me in a bad place this week. I’ve been switching between anger, disgust and fear and I’ve just had it with these soulless people who treat women anyway they want to. I’ll never tell a victim how she should have behaved – I could never know that kind of shame or pain – but I will judge the hell out of everyone else. If Harvey’s wife tells the world she was abused I will support her adamantly. Otherwise I don’t have one shred of obligations gation to assume she’s a victim and act accordingly.
But these reactions to me here are priceless. Anthony Weiner’s wife was not blamed for his sexual misconduct but she was scorned as an enabler. Melania was not blamed for Trump’s deviancy but she was scorned as an enabler and a profiteer. but somehow I’m not allowed to reach the same conclusion about Chapman? I’m anti-feminist and a misogynist now? Lol that tells me more about the opinion-as-weapon tendency of the commenters. Subsequent comments even admonish me to stop blaming the “women”, plural, although I’ve consistently limited my views to Chapman. If that is said enough times it will eventually and seamlessly hijack the original difference of opinion (emphasis on word opinion) and make the conversation about *my* character/integrity. As a woc (with a PoliSci degree and the daughter of a Women’s Lib volunteer) surrounded by people who know oh so much more than me lol I’ve had a lifetime to get used to and deal with these debate techniques but they still make me smh.
Anyhoo, thanks again, Steph, it felt great to vent.
@ Enough Already.. sweetheart, it’s your arrogance in insisting that Georgina knew about Harvey being a rapist that’s being taken to task here. And I’ve never attacked Melania Trump or accused her of being complicit but the difference is she ACTIVELY defends her husband’s behavior while Georgina is not. I’ve also never said anything about Huma Abedin but now I will. I feel bad for her and cannot pass judgement on her choice to continuing to try to have faith in her husband. She’s a bad example, just my opinion. Again you can know your husband is a womanizer, is a serial cheat but that is far different from knowing he’s a rapist. And so what if she married him for money? That makes her less of a person because she married him for money, to promote her designs? It still doesn’t mean she knew about his behavior and until I see that she knew her husband was a rapist and wasn’t abused by him herself, I’m not going to judge her like you are doing. It’s also possible she found out after she married him and was terrified of him. Any scenario can pop up here but to argue that she’s only doing what’s convenient and not right, is victim blaming. It is victim blaming as I view her as one of Harvey’s victims. I view her children as victims and as their mother, it’s the absolute right thing to leave him. He’s a sociopath. Be grateful you’ve never encountered one.
Purple
Sweetheart? Lol, I’m not here for this patronizing bs. Keep it moving, keyboard feminists.
I don’t know if I agree with Enough or not as I’m still mulling everything over but the double standard here is troubling. She has an opinion and so do you so why is she being dragged? Trying to pull her feminism card is also a dangerous thing to do. Weinstein’s wife is not above analysis just because she is a woman and women are traditionally the victims. To insist she obviously must be a victim is unhealthy gender bias and cancels any hope of objectivity. As women we need to try to find the truth, not confirmation bias. The echo chamber here makes me sad.
ETA
Smh at sweetheart.
Of course you’re allowed to have an opinion but the problem with your statements is they read like a purity test. Maybe she’s not the perfect victim so she’s not really a victim? I think what is really difficult for most of us to imagine is staying with a serial rapist does not seem like something anyone would ever logically do. Do you think she would have to try hard to get money? She’s officially rich as hell and would get a huge payout in any divorce. IMO, logic would tell us, this says that either she a) didn’t know he was a rapist, b) she was manipulated over the course of years and years into believing he could never do such a thing, c) was scared af for herself and/or her kids if she left, or, d) all of the above. Do you see how we are following the line of logic here? Georgina has her own connects at this point and surely has some notable and very wealthy people who support her. She was pretty famous as a model I think for awhile. And she definitely has her own net worth. PR made her a household name. Would you stay with a rapist in those circumstances if you knew he was a rapist? Even from a career stand point or if she was after the money, that seems like a terrible plan. Huma Abedin had knowledge of Weiner’s exploits for years-please see the documentary ‘Weiner’ and see how he treats her and come back and tell us she’s not a victim and also didn’t know what he was doing. I don’t think she saw the 13 year old girl texting ever happening, but I think she caught a lot of flack because she so openly knew and stayed by him, although he is flat out abusive and manipulative towards her in the film. Melania flat out said ‘Boys will be boys’ basically when Trumps sexual assault came to light. So nope. Not the same circumstances at all.
Would you stay with a rapist in any circumstances??? Is what I’m trying to say? No one would. Unless they were being abused repeatedly, lied to, manipulated, or simply didn’t know. That’s where most of us are coming from.
Amazing; even if its to save her own skin, she’s doing the right thing.
Yes, I wish her the best.
She’s getting out because he is no longer useful
Agree. Also, will sex addiction rehab cure his problems? He is a bully. He does horrible things to both women and men because he has/had power. I don’t think sex addiction is going to fix him.
It’s not even about sex. He’s rich enough to pay a professional to indulge any kind of perversion. It’s about control, power, and humiliating women.
It’s about abuse of power and control..not sex! He should be footing the bill for his victim’s therapy.
And I don’t feel for his wife..have long thought actresses have promoted her ugly-ass glitter gowns to ‘please’ the couple. How can you assume every actress who worked on a film he bankrolled should know..but his wife wouldn’t?
He’s a rapist! He’s been raping and assaulting people with less power than him for almost 30 years. He deserves to be castrated. I know that’s crazy to say, but I am really angry. And therapy for sex addiction in his case is an effing joke.
What he did was not about sex at all, so treatment for “sex addiction” is pointless. I thought people had already figured this out a long time ago, such as when thinking about rape. Just because sexual organs and language are involved doesn’t make it sexual activity. Words such as violence, assault, harassment, intimidation etc. are the right ones to use.
This is like claiming a mugger was just accepting charitable donations.
So what?
I care more about the kids. Get them away from him and think about the deal with the devil you made. Georgina had all the options in her life but she wanted so bad to be this designer that gets to dress the stars. That makes it worse imho. She wasnt some starving actress desperately trying to find work.
i agree. I did not know that they had kids or that they are that young. It will be horrible for them to find out about their father. This story has gotten so big, I totally agree that they have to go undercover for awhile to protect them.
On the note of Lainey’s post yesterday about cognitive effort and bias, when you are in the situation it is much more difficult to think clearly.
So while observers may have come to conclusions easily, for someone involved it can be much more difficult.
That is to say, it’s easy for us to see Wankstain as a horrid abuser, but Georgina may truly have not known.
Patriarchy rests on the inability to challenge powerful men: even if they are your husband. Being forced by the pressure of power imbalance into conscious OR unconscious complicity.
I just feel pissed off, sad, and rage-crazed by turn.
It’s like Jimmy Savile all over again. Everyone knew. And now we all have to deal with having known. I have no contact with this industry other than gossiping on this website when I have the time. And I knew he was the splashiest, skeeviest dicksplash going.
Good point.
Wein. was a master at using his privileges to get everything he wanted. Without the invisible rules of patriarchy he would have been exposed sooner.
“forced by the pressure of power imbalance into conscious OR unconscious complicity”
This is it exactly. Sixer, you always get to the meat of the issue.
Victims don’t always speak out because the only thing worse than being assaulted, is being assaulted and trying to speak out only to be disbelieved and labelled a liar or grifter or slut. They don’t always even process what happened as assault, because a trusted person betraying trust is harder to deal with than you personally making a mistake or misreading a situation.
It is often easier for women to mentally condition themselves to be at fault, than it is to bring these issues forward.
Even speaking out and being believed – even feted for courage – is still a shaming and humiliating experience. You know?
Georgina knew Edward Chapman her brother choked and beat up his then-girlfriend in 2012. Cops were called. Girlfriend was paid off. Chargers dropped. Georgina knew and did nothing. Edward is still the CEO of her WOMENS clothing company. Let that sink it.
She may have known that he cheated on her and didn’t care, but didn’t realize it went to the level of abuse and coercion it did. He’s a sociopath and manipulated his victims to the point where they carried on friendships and work relationships with him for years, even after what he did to them. I don’t doubt that he manipulated his wife as well and she is coming to terms with some hard truths.
Yes, thank you. Only Harvey knows what he has done cumulatively, he’s obviously a sick bastard. Did you read the last line of the Ronan Farrow piece? “No one knows the things I’ve done.” Shudder.
Exactly. When you are an abuser of this proportion, you’ve been practicing.
You’ve been practicing finding victims, manipulating them before and after, procuring silence.
Someone who has done this for decades is not a journeyman at manipulation, they are a master.
ITA, Detritus, Sixer, AbbyRose.
@ detritus, Yes I agree. Just because your husband is a womanizer, that doesn’t make him a rapist. When I got divorced, I found out so many things my husband had been doing that I had no idea about. We all rationalize things in a relationship that may or may not be reality.
The problem is that when you are in the situation (the marriage let’s say), you cannot always see what is really going on around you.
When you love someone, when you’ve got those rose coloured glasses on – no flags look like red flags.
Hugs to you jugil, its never fun to find out someone’s dirty secrets. let alone someone you trusted and i’m sorry you had to go through that.
It’s so easy to know exactly what to do when it’s not actually you in the situation. People seem to be forgetting just how absolute Harvey’s power was, just how wealthy and influential he was and for how long. He was bolstered not only by his position but by just how frighteningly easy it is to pass off truly horrid, predatory behavior as “boys will be boys”.
Just the fact that people are even trying to go after Georgina here is proof of the power of patriarchy.
So much so.
And people forget that they too have been conned, or manipulated, or hurt. And that but for the grace of god, go they.
If Jolie, Paltrow, and Terry MFing Crews can be touched, no one is safe. Most of us already knew this, but this is proof even the most blind has to see.
It’s horrible that he had this happen, but I’m so very, very glad he spoke out.
Absolutely, Wren.
Agreed Wren. Also, I’ve said this before on Captive Melania threads:
Adultery does not carry as much weight in divorce court/child custody hearings as it used to. No matter how beautiful young connected successful etc she may appear, she’s a mother that is probably fearful of losing time w her young children due to possibly unproven or (until this week) unprovable offenses. Not to mention his legal resources as compared to hers.
I know of a few women who, without a ‘smoking gun’ for burden of proof recognize if they divorce their powerful, wealthy husbands, they could get 50/50 split custody (or worse) of their children and that is a dealbreaker for them.
I myself have joked that if Mr Dazeem and I divorce I will die a slow seething death of jealousy while his 22 year old new ex model wife shares in raising my kids.
A friend told me that he didn’t know his father was molesting his two sisters even though they had been living in the same house. Each sister also thought she was the only one. Their father told each of them separately that if they didn’t cooperate, then he would start on her sister. So each of them thought she was protecting the other one.
They didn’t tell their mom either. So nobody knew until they were all adults. My friend and his mother were devastated by it when they found out. The sisters had to deal with the fact that their individual suffering didn’t even protect the other one. Their father had them all fooled.
This is not an uncommon situation. If people can not know about this happening in their own small house, why must we assume that Weinstein’s wife just had to know all about it? The women kept quiet about it. Any settlements by the company were kept off everybody’s radar. Cash settlements don’t even necessarily mean guilt – many times pursuing the case will cost more than just handing money out to someone. Rumors and gossip are often wrong and easily dismissed.
she’s really pretty. i’m just putting that out there.
Such a beautiful woman. Every time I see her face I go “bloody hell.”
Seconded.
They are a Hollywood tale as old as time: she’s stunning and he’s a disgusting ogre.
In the first pic she is stunning but in the second pic she looks like the cat who got the cream. I think it’s the heavy eye makeup.
She is indeed so so beautiful.
I notice she says “leaving” not divorcing him. I wonder if this is just a move to let the heat die down, see if he is accepted back into Hollywood, and then announce that they are reuniting the family as he has had treatment. The full “Stand by your man” routine. As long as the man has money, power and access of course.
Unless she lives under a ginormous rock, I’m sure she realizes that he’ll never be accepted in Hollywood again
I have no faith in Hollywood to do the moral, right thing. Polanski and Allen still work and are lauded. I think the only difference here is that famous women were victimized, so that may be the only thing that will keep Weinstein out of the inner circles.
They won’t reject him because he assaulted women, they’ll reject him because he got caught and dragged ALL of their names into it. You don’t recover from being the reason two dozen A-list stars had to release statements disavowing you.
He’s actually done. He sexually harassed two exes of Brad Pitt. Both went on the record, Brad Pitt confirmed Paltrow’s story and Jolie refused to work with Weinstein ever because of it. If you think Brad Pitt isn’t a major player in the movie industry, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell to you. Jolie is still the mother of his children. Weinstein is done.
“Unless she lives under a ginormous rock, I’m sure she realizes that he’ll never be accepted in Hollywood again.”
I hope so, but I’m not too sure.
They said this about Nixon, but by the end of his life, many considered him an Elder Statesman.
They said this about Mel Gibson, who is on his way to redemption. He’s still working in film and getting press coverage.
Harvey will be in exile for a good, long time, but I suspect in later years, he’ll be consulted for his business acumen. For many years, the man couldn’t make a bad business decision.
He’s absolute garbage and deserves a long prison sentence, but Hollywood—like Washington—has a poor memory.
KB is correct. Harvey has made a lot of powerful Hollywood players look complicit. With Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, they were able to say “that’s a personal matter.” The victims were also young (as to be easily discredited) and not famous.
maybe he’s spent the last decade threatening her? maybe she doesn’t want her children to see something even worse – which is what their hysterical, cornered father could do to their mother if he was angry enough and thinking that she was also leaving him. maybe she has to keep control while doing an exit strategy. its not that easy to up and leave your husband, especially when they are a multi-millionaire and you and your business are 100% dependent on him.
She’s doing the right and sensible thing. In terms of the business, she might have to do a serious rebranding and restart, but she could still survive with something.
It will be very interesting to see what kind of rebranding she’ll do. Who wants to be associated with the dresses that “the sexual predator forced women to wear”? IMHO, right now the brand name is toxic.
I agree. The Marchesa brand Is done. His name gave it success, now his name has killed it.
I sincerely doubt she knew. They both worked, had young kids, and he’s great at manipulation.
Also- you dont see what seems preposterous. Someone accuses him? Spite. Tells her to leave the marriage? Jealousy. And its not necessarily what she automatically believes but also what he tells her.
And she could be like a lot of the victims: she didnt know how bad it was. She might have thought that him flirting was just part of the gig, and she could put with a few indiscretions – and that any rumors were just blown out of proportion.
Agree with kaiser, while sex addiction is a serious issues I hope it’s not going to be used as an excuse for his other addiction – total power over other people. Throw in narcissistic sociopath and we have no idea how he treated her. Given the way he treated so many women it wouldn’t be beyond the bounds of possibility he emotionally manipulated/ abused her as well. And on another point, is there any chance we could have these posts without pictures of him, I can’t bear to look at that slug in trousers, he makes me physically retch.
She is gorgeous. Her with an ugly pig like him is nauseating. If he was funny or even super smart like Bill Gates id get it. But Harvey? There are rich old men a plenty who would want a wife like her yet she picks him? My guess is that he treated her like a queen. Adores his daughter. Worships his mother. These guys can compartmentalize like nobodies business.
What she knew is another matter …
” There are rich old men a plenty who would want a wife like her yet she picks him?”
That can only be because of his power and his connections. She was wealthy before and is attractive she could have found a different guy if she wanted to. But 99,9% of the men dont have access, as disgusting as that word is in this context, its still fitting, to famous actresses.
yeah, i thought the same thing. he must have charmed her socks off. and your point about compartmentalizing is so true.
Sex addict? Oh f**k off. Sexual assault and rape are about a power trip, not sex. If a man like him just wanted sex he had more than enough money to pay for the services of professionals. He got off on victimizing. No rehab will ever fix that.
Good that she’s getting out but business-wise I still don’t think that saves the brand. Too tainted. This madness will be the first thing people think of when they hear “Marchesa”.
Sex addiction is real, no matter if you’re rich or poor, powerful or unpowerful. If he’s a sex addict, it’s awful he didn’t get help long ago, so all these innocent women didn’t have to go through this nightmare. Maybe they’ll have sex addiction rehab in the prison he belongs in for the rest of his life
Yes I know sex addiction is real, you miss the point. This.was.not.about.sex. This was about a need to victimize and control. There’s no such thing as “sexual assault addiction”, there’s just being a serial rapist. Do you really want to say that sex addicts are rapists? Really?
+1 to prison, not a ritzy European rehab.
I don’t really care what his “issue” is— what he did was criminal. Start there.
Truth. And like with all addiction, it doesn’t absolve you of your actions.
It is explanation, not excuse.
Many sex addicts can find consensual partners, so this means he is an abuser and an addict. Not just an addict.
The only residential treatment facility Harvey belongs in is prison.
True that. Why is he bothering with “rehab” anyway? Who’s supposed to be placated by this measure?
Georgina is Harvey’s second wife. It would be interesting to hear his first wife’s opinion on Harvey’s fall from power.
I’m in NY and have been hearing that Weinstein was a sexual predator for over ten years ago, reading page six I believe. I cannot understand how his wife did not asked her friends what they have heard, before marrying him, this was one of the best kept non secret for a long time. When I saw Obama’s daughter working for him this past summer I was wondering what were they thinking.
Rumors can be false, as the Obamas especially know. Not everybody pays close attention to celebrity gossip and blind items. Actually, most people pay no attention to that. This is easy to forget when it’s an interest of yours, as a variation on the Pokémon “gotta catch ’em all” theme. Humans do love to look for patterns and to try to sort out various bits of information into a workable theory, but celebrity watching is only one way they do that.
Any investigation of Weinstein and relevant others prior to allowing their daughter to intern would have focused on other things of interest to the Secret Service. In any case, it is extremely unlikely that the President’s daughter, under the watchful eye of Secret Service, was at all at risk from Harvey Weinstein or anybody else she encountered.
“Maybe he is a sex addict. But that’s separate from him being a decades-long abuser of women, a serial sexual harasser, a rapist and a sexual assailant.”
This!!
Usually sex abusers enter some sort of rehab in addition to an appriopriate period (years!) in jail.
He can’t just walk away with some weeks spent in a luxury facility.
And yet, he most likely will…
You know that when you said that it really shook me as I am thinking this about my work situation but I cannot afford to take the money and go…nothing like the Weinstein company situations ..just worried and wondered if I should have taken the severance offer….still I am hoping that I can continue for a couple more years without them firing me !…but those words really did resonate for me and also I saw that from my past I had not taken that step in relationships when there was obvious warning signs…
Fear? fear of the unknown..or self confidence that you will be OK..
It must be the same for many others..it takes bravery to leave any situation and when you are in it despite being bright/ clever in other ways you can cling on to hope that you are wrong or it will change or things can get better…
That’s the thing, though, WhatwasThat? You never know what will happen until you jump. My daughter was a star in her industry, getting head-hunted every other week. She finally accepted a position with great prospects with another company. Her sociopathic, misogynist boss had made it clear she was going no further where she was, because he “didn’t believe in women holding senior positions”. She also discovered he was likely committing fraud regarding trust accounts with her clients. She was bound by law to report it. It didn’t stop them accusing her of fraud, having her license cancelled, the fabulous job offer/s withdrawn, her name and reputation utterly ruined in the industry, though. She hasn’t been able to get a job for two years, and is fighting a law case to clear her name, even though she’s done no wrong and has all the evidence to prove it. The boy’s club is real, is very strong and very brutal.
When I read how Weinstein had bragged about feeding bullshit stories to gossip outlets about the Italian actress, it made me physically gag. That’s exactly what happened to my daughter. These bastards, hooked on power, are everywhere. If you put up with their shit, you have to live with yourself. If you speak up, you have to live with the consequences. No wonder so many people didn’t speak out about HW, whether they knew, or merely suspected.
I hope everything works out brilliantly for you, WhatwasThat.
I am very sorry to hear about your daughter AnnaKist…
People can be labelled very easily and assumptions made…sometimes others want to see the worst in everyone as it suits their own agenda and ego…
The legal bills and the stress all this causes is horrendous…and it drags on..Plus companies will make it drag on to wear down their opponents…
In the workplace it is horrible what people can do…and I hate this tendency to not support colleagues and play one off against the other…
I am in the U.K. so some things are better but the economy is used by employers to people’s disadvantage and so many now do not support or join what the US call Labour Unions but we just call. A union…They aren’t always the answer nor is the employment rights of the EU as some companies try to avoid things
I truly hope your daughter clears her name very soon and can put all this behind her..
I wish you both well
B itch please.
Sexual addiction is a myth – this guy is a predator.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/09/sex-addiction-myth-david-ley_n_1335132.html
I doubt she knew the extent and it bothers me that people assume she knew and was complicit. The mind finds ways to rationalize things it doesn’t want to believe. He manipulated scores of women – why wouldn’t he have manipulated her too?
Yes, unless the “treatment facility” he is about to enter is called PRISON, I don’t want to hear about it.
I doubt she knew. This was all happening in hotel rooms, not her home. I imagine when this first broke he explained it as making passes at women. When the truth about how bad it was came out, she may well have been genuinely horrified.
She’s leaving him. Good. Let’s make him the story. Do we have to look forward to a future in which every time a man commits a heinous crime, the wife is dragged in right behind him for equal blame and censure? Remember who’s the criminal. Was this done to Sandusky’s wife? I don’t know. Madoff’s wife? Keep the focus on the perpetrator.
He is an intensely ugly man that got his rocks of forcing young beautiful women to silently tolerate an astounding array a sexual misconduct, from harrassment to assault. If it was about sex, there would be hookers, porn, mistesses and ultimately…consent.
This wasn’t about sex, it was about power. He’s a rapist and a serial abuser who needs to be locked up, not coddled. There isn’t any fixing that kind of cruelty.
As for Georgina, we can go round and round about what she knew or didn’t know. Ultimately we’ll just end up where we started. I find it difficult to believe his deep seated hatred of women ended when he opened his front door at night. For now, I hope she can protect the children from all of the sh*t coming down the pipe. This isn’t going to end well.
well said, happyoften.
ITA, this is NOT a sex-addiction. For one thing, sex addicts usually don’t even enjoy sex by the time the addiction really takes hold, it is a compulsion they can’t control. Harvey, in contrast, was a sexual predator using sex to feel power. Totally different.
Exactly. I don’t want his behaviour conveniently medicalised as and excuse. This was not sex addiction which he was powerless to prevent; this was rape, abuse, and harassment to which he went to great lengths to engineer and cover up for decades.
None of this was EVER about sex. Sex was simply the weapon he wielded to assert his “power.”
This completely. His sick perversion was propelled by his obsession with wielding his power to humiliate and denigrate women. There’s really no difference between Weinstein and your garden-variety serial rapist apart from the fact that he targeted mostly aspiring actresses in Hollywood.
Actually, I think there is in that a serial rapist usually doesn’t have people freakin’ DELIVERING victims to his door, like he’s ordering takeout.
That is what is so enraging and heartbreaking for me, the sheer number of people involved in his victim acquisition logistics. He had minions.
@ happyoften, you said it all.
Maybe she’s worried about her potted plants.
Thank you for that. Seriously.
I see parallels between Chapman and Melania Trump. I’m inclined to believe that Georgina wasn’t aware of the extent of her husband’s crimes and at least she’s leaving while Melania’s still sticking around.
Have always thought that Melania was going to divorce Trump after he lost the presidency (sigh). When he won, he probably told her I’ll give you millions more to stick around. Weinstein and trump have lots in common. Abusive to employees and subordinates, both loved to screw people over in deals and show their power by assualting and terrorizing women. And both equally grotesque. Tina Brown wrote a great piece yesterday about working with Weinstein in the 1990’s. She said that even today she was still terrified of his revenge for writing negative things. Bullies do that to everyone around them.
I hope Melania was smart enough to specify she would stay until he was out of the White House rather than setting a specific date….
Also hopefully she made her full custody of Barron part of the deal. Considering the harm that could be done by Trump with just joint custody would keep any mother walking on eggshells. He’s only 11. It will be years before he can have any real choice in the matter. Unless Donald Sr is in prison….
Whatever Georgina’s reasons were for marrying Harvey, only she knows. Whether it’s for access (which, I think it was) or love, for all her intentions, her life has been decimated now. Leaving Harvey was her only option if she didn’t want the same fate as Ruth Madoff. But I do not believe that she’ll ever have the access she had with Harvey. Let’s be honest, Harvey bullied a lot of people to get her brand off the ground. He used his name to make Marchesa a red carpet name.
No one is going to forget that. I think, fashion wise, she is finished.
Can someone please remind me of the story about Kerry Washington not wearing Marchesa at the Oscars? Didn’t he tear into her on behalf of Georgina?
I imagine that Georgina wanted her fashion line so badly, and she wanted to dress stars. Maybe even she realized that her designs weren’t good enough to make it on their own, so enter Weinstein. I also imagine (because none of us really know) that good ol’ Harvey didn’t press her constantly for sex. He likes sex that occurs under coercion and with terror. I’m sure they both love and adore their children, but outside of that they had one true love, and it wasn’t each other. They both loved his power and money. For her, his money funded Marquesa, his power forced stars to wear the designs. Obviously for him, his money funded an incredible lifestyle, and his power gave him a way to prey on women and get away with it for a long time.
Now he is ruined. Any time he tries to accost women they can now go straight to the police and be believed. I hope Georgina and the boys will move to England, and that they will all recover. I don’t care if Harvey recovers. Maybe part of his punishment will be seeing beautiful young women and knowing that his old methods won’t work, and that he can’t touch them. The fact is that he is an animal, so he needs a cage.
The only place Georgina is going to see her crap Machesa gowns is at Walmarts discount rack.
Coming soon: Marchesa for JC Penney. That might actually be a viable means of saving her brand.
Och! I would at least give her Macy’s.
I think Kohl’s or TJ Maxx.
I thought rapists were arrested?
The New York D.A. Cyrus Vance Jr. let him off the hook after Weinsteins lawyer “donated” money… he is the same upstanding gentleman who dropped the case against Ivanka and Donald Jr. after a “donation” from Trumps lawyer.
Disgusting. Has that been taken to the Supreme Court before? Seems unethical on many levels.
After he set her up in business and used his influence to push Marchesa, and she’s known all along who this swine was, suddenly her heart breaks for all those women. She didn’t care while he was setting her up in business, and she doesn’t care now. She just doesn’t want her business to suffer.
As I said in my first post on this days ago, the only reason this is happening now is because he’s no longer Mr. Alpha Male in the Oscar and box office arenas and both his star and his power are dimming.
No one came out and levelled accusations when he was winning Oscars.
And no one else is being being called out, and there are legions of them.
Wake me up in five years and let’s hear from young ingenue actresses if anything has changed.
This.
Yes!
+1
The only ‘treatment facility’ this guy needs is a jail.
If Weinstein was just a sex addict it would have been affairs and getting caught with sex workers. A person can be a sex addict and not commit sexual harassment, rape, or abuse.
There is a huge and significant difference between knowing that a man is a womanizer, a dog, and a man whore, and knowing that he is a sexual predator. I believe that his wife, George, Meryl — they all knew that he was the former but few really knew he was the latter. While I am loathe to even hint that a victim should have done more victims ….. Gwyneth is Hollywood royalty. Spielberg is her Godfather. I really feel like her word would have carried weight had she gone beyond telling Brad. I know victims have to be perfect and, again, I’m not blaming her. I guess what’s so disturbing about it is that if he got away with it with Gwyneth….. obviously young unknowns never had a chance.
It’s so disturbing on so many levels.
I hope it helps show how much power, how good at manipulating these men are.
The audio recording made me sick. He is so good at this. He must have practiced so many times, on so many women.
He was so good he felt safe abusing Paltrow, with her godfather and with her father being who they are.
For all we know, she could have easily been at the end of his abuse, with the only diference that she was married to him while the rest of his victims were not. We still don’t know if she has any horror stories to tell herself.
Like there’s any choice here?
Because this is all about you? Dear Lord…
Oh come on, she is beautiful and looks like she could be with Brad Pitt. Instead she is with this fat, ugly, greasy 65 year old. She married for money, that is clear. She has done 10 years. She’ll get a good payout. I doubt she is broken-hearted, I doubt she married him for love. I really don’t think she gives a stuff and now she is free to date someone on her level and not punch way way below her weight for money. She is a gold digger and he is a ugly fat and greasy sexual predator. I have no empathy for EITHER of them.
He looks like a troll. I wouldn’t be able to do it for all the money in the world
I am glad she is leaving, but she did know about the tape and the police involvement. She understood the situation and is pretty much an upper-class Melania. When that tape came out, she was angry about her brand and business and felt embarrassed but didn’t ditch him. It has always been about Marchesa and her fairytale dream of being a famous designer.
My sympathies are with her children but I can’t support 45’s wife and I can’t with her either.
I don’t blame her for Harvey’s behavior or any of his abuses because she is not the perp, and she has no power in Hollywood except to force her ghastly creations on innocent women.
There are complexities to their relationship I am sure, but my feelings about women like her and Melania are the same.
There won’t be any more stars for him to make wear her terrible designs anymore, there’s not really any reason to stay anymore. I doubt she knew just how much horrible stuff he was up to, but he was known to be a creep in those circles when she married him, It’s a smart move to get that divorce settlement while he still has some money to take.
I can’t believe they are trying to put out the fire with the “sex addiction” excuse. Sex addiction doesn’t equal harassing and raping. This type of behavior is not just sexually motivated, is a need for power, dominance and control. Can he be cured? Doubt it. But since the power he’s held over others will be probably reduced to minimum he won’t be such a threat anymore.
Why is American response to anything like this send them to rehab?
He is a Sociopath – you don’t therapize that away.
Where are Heidi and Tim Gunn?
I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she likely had no idea of the extent of his depravity. She may have thought he had an occasional fling but nothing more.
A few years back, a serial rapist was targeting women in my neighborhood and several others. He followed them into their garages as they drove in. He owned a popular coffee shop, was married with two kids. I know someone who was in the wedding party. Believe me when I say that no one who knew him could have imagined he could be the perpetrator of such evil. He got caught when his last victim managed to get the garage door back open then chased after him screaming. He committed suicide in jail.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Sex-Assault-Suspect-Commits-Suicide.html
Don’t believe it for a second. This is all PR on her side. The will be back together a year from now, after he’s done treatment and has come out a “changed man”. The company will hire him back on also. Mark my words!
At least actresses won’t have to wear Marchesa (?) anymore? Every cloud…
She decided to leave when a boycott started for Marchesa on social media.
Yes, get out for your children’s sake, so that they don’t grow up with that man’s example of what men are. I don’t know if she knew or not, but she needs to protect her children, especially her daughter.
Meh. Seems like crocodile tears from all around, to me. He’s like ‘oh I’m sick, I need rehab, i’m fighting Shitty Human Being Syndrome, it’s been my secret struggle for years, pray for me’ and she’s like ‘oh the children! / ie what remains of the business and glitzy image i sold my soul for’ – all because the NY Times pretty much put th whole thing together in a tidy package, faxt-checked the crap out of it, and went public, so the like three ppl on the Earth who had never heard these rumors could no longer look the other way. None of these are terribly new stories or even all tht shocking given what we know about him.
So yeah leave, stay, whatever, this whole story is disgusting, and so are they.
Meh. They’re both just taking desperate PR steps in the hope to get back on their respective gravy trains. Him with the whole ‘I need therapy, it’s being ill that made me so rapey’ and her pretending to leave him.
That whole going to sex-rehab is a legal gameplay, it’s not real. You know what I want? Every woman he exploited sexually to have a chance to punch him once in the balls. Is that too much to ask?
G. Chapman is a gorgeous woman (did you ever watch her on Project Runway she was always introduced as “the beautiful Georgina Chapman”) who had a fledgling dress business before she met Weinstein. Now, do you really think that his power and access had nothing to do with her attraction to him? Do you really think that if she was “fugly” that he would even notice her? Did she realize her power – her beauty – held sway over him? My point is: she knew the game and played it well. Good for her. It is/was a transactional relationship. Knowing this… do you really think she didn’t know? It’s not like she was blinded by love. The signs are always there and people always lament ‘oh I should have paid attention to THE SIGNS’. Sorry I don’t buy the “I didn’t know” excuse. In my experience, men are the dumb ones and women are much smarter and see/know what time it is with stuff like this. I also have to say, all the folks now coming out and being outraged is so hollow. They all knew and said nothing (did you see the many times even jokes were made publicly on awards shows about HW’s actions?).
+10000000
He’s not a sex addict., sex addicts have consensual partners. He’s a predator who used his position to force sexual favours. He’s a criminal and he’s trying to avoid jail (if these things haven’t passed the statute of limitations.) While sex addiction is a real thing this is not what we have here.
I think she stayed for the sake of the kids – didn’t want to put them through a long, drawn-out and vituperative divorce. Harvey would have gotten out the big guns legally speaking and run her through the mill. I and many women I know have stayed in horrible relationships because we’d been mentally “groomed” by manipulative partners to believe we’d be worthless if we left. If there are little kids involved that takes it up another step to where the mothering instinct goes into high gear and she’ll do anything to keep them out of harm’s way, even staying in a loveless marriage with a philanderer.
She no doubt knew she was marrying a powerful guy with a wandering eye but I don’t think she was aware of the actual sordidness and depravity of his behaviour. At least now that it’s in the public eye she can leave knowing he won’t make it difficult and try to put the pieces of her life back together.
He was instrumental to the success of her fashion line. He probably poured a lot of money into it, plus all the actresses who had to wear her gowns on the red carpet.
Two gross people, IMO. Georgina made a deal with the devil. Now the devil wants his due.
Oh please. Of course she knew. I live in Eastern Europe and I’m not particularly interested in movies and still I was aware of the rumours. Let’s stop pretending this marriage was based on love and trust. She didn’t marry Weinstein for his beauty or for his lovely personality. She married for money and position and was willing to put up with everything he did. There are countless people who marry for money and don’t care what their spouse does as long as they get what they want. What I find hard to understand is why on earth a beauty like Georgina couldn’t find a filthy rich, powerful man less disgusting than H.W. She must have quite the stomach
Agreed. I was just thinking that even Rupert Murdoch would have been less disgusting, and I hate his politics.
In 2016, I worked with a big female TV star /movies who was married to a major, major male TV star once — her ex-husband went into seX addiction treatment. He starred in a cult TV show in 90’s. Files of fans.
She knew I had meeting at the TWC company. She told me “Whatever you do, don’t let yourself be in a room with Harvey alone.”
Enablers turn a blind eye.
Few men are entirely alone in their abuse of women. Harvey’s “damage control team” is legendary — multi-person PR and high powered lawyers. His lawyer is Vice President Gore’s lawyer.
She knew in 2015 her husband was the target of the sting operation conducted by NYPD’s Special Victim Unit. It was in all the NYC papers. Still, Georgina stayed with him.
Agree that she could have found a more attractive/nicer rich well-connected guy. But maybe she loved being the pretty one. Or she has a pattern of dating sociopaths.
“Maybe he is a sex addict. But that’s separate from him being a decades-long abuser of women, a serial sexual harasser, a rapist and a sexual assailant.” — Yes! Exactly! Thank you.
Hmm. Not buying her innocence. One sexual harrassment suit? “Don’t worry, Georgina. My accuser is just out for money/vindictive.” Two? “Ditto.” Three? “Ditto.” Four? Five? Six? Seven? Eight? Then an NYPD sting? Nobody is so “busy” or “non-observant” they don’t notice eight sexual harrassment suits and a major sting operation. Denial? Sure. That’s probably how she lived with herself. But innocent? I guess there’s a remote possibility. But using Occam’s Razor: she knew.
I’m pretty sure she knew at least some of the truth (it’s hard for me to believe she did not know about the multiple payouts he had to make to plaintiffs). But, I think their relationship is a familiar one: his money and power, for her looks. She kept up her end of the bargain and still looks great for her age. But now that he’s on the way out in Hollywood, he probably can’t keep up his end of the bargain. So good for her for dumping him.
She also need a to protect her brand. She needs to distance herself away as much as possible now. How easy that’s going to be, I don’t know. Why some people seem to feel for this woman and not Melania Trump, I don’t know. Both are essentially trophy wives and both know their husband ways imo. This woman can get away–Melania can’t.
Has anyone seen that Cara Delvigne is the latest victim to speak out. God I hope he didn’t do something disgusting to Hermione
Can someone tell me how this guy was SO powerful that all these women were too scared/ashamed/threatened to tell someone about his behavior?? What made him God and that if you were shunned by him, you would never work in Hollywood again? Where were the actresses dignity in doing what was right in calling this pig out? Did they not think that if it had happened to them, it might be happening to others? And why did Brad Pitt stay silent after he KNEW that he harassed Gwyneth? I am in NO way excusing anything that this piece of $hit has done, but these are questions some of my gal pals and I are having…I hope they castrate him.
I kind of feel the same way. I want him sent to jail . . . but for that to happen, the victims have to speak out. I logically understand why they don’t speak out (powerful producers control most of Hollywood and can ruin their careers — their very livelihood — in revenge). But I emotionally wanted them to speak out earlier, so he could be shut down earlier.
There are SO many stories on this website alone that show what the women were up against if they spoke out – and Rose McGowan had been trying for a while and getting absolutely nowhere. At this stage to not understand you have to be a little deliberately obtuse. He ran the show in Hollywood for many, many years but now his company isn’t producing the hits it used to so his power is waning and there’s finally a chance to ruin him. And look, as soon as that opportunity came up people jumped on it. Obviously there are a lot of people who have wanted to take Harvey down for a long time so I don’t think it’s fair to dump on them. They had already lost their ‘dignity’ (and bodily autonomy) thanks to Harvey so I can see how they’d be protective of keeping it in other situations.
Gwyneth most likely asked Brad to keep quiet about it. If she had wanted to go public, she would have done it herself. She most likely just wanted to get past it, as many women in such situations do.
Michelle, that’s what I want to know: HOW did it get this far? Everybody knew, for decades. Nobody did anything. This is one for the sociologists to deconstruct for years. Books will come out for years about the deep vein of misogyny that’s finally, finally burst open. Hundreds of people should, and hopefully will, be held accountable for aiding and abetting this monster. I hope this burns Hollywood to the ground.
There’s a picture of her 5+ days ago leaving their townhouse, and she’s grinning like the cat that ate the canary. This after her statement of standing by him. I believe she knew, and went along because it was good for business. CNN just played the clip from 30 rock that joked about sleeping with Weinstein, and the clip of Seth McFarlane from years ago, that made jokes about his “reputation/behavior”. And now a few days later, after he’s fired, and after a plethora of Hollywood came out against him, now she finally saw the light? Call me a bitch, but I just don’t believe her. I do feel sorry for his children though. Utterly horrible to think about what they will read about their father in the future.
There’s a picture of her 5+ days ago leaving their townhouse, and she’s grinning like the cat that ate the canary. This after her statement of standing by him. I believe she knew, and went along because it was good for business. CNN just played the clip from 30 rock that joked about sleeping with Weinstein, and the clip of Seth McFarlane from years ago, that made jokes about his “reputation/behavior”. And now a few days later, after he’s fired, and after a plethora of Hollywood came out against him, now she finally saw the light? Call me a bitch, but I just don’t believe her. I do feel sorry for his children though. Utterly horrible to think about what they will read about their father in the future.
Georgina is complicit in all these sexual harassment and bullying claims. Everyone in Hollywood knew about Harvey. There have been enough blind items published over the years, and clearly now, these people spoke amongst each other. She is clearly only leaving because victims are speaking out. She must get lost. We don’t have to defend her because she is a woman.
Also it has been an open secret that starlets were forced to wear the trash that is Marchesa clothing by Harvey. Now they are free to wear decent dresses during awards season.
I admit her clothes are very beautiful. But you shouldn’t be forced to wear a dress. Her campaign to relaunch her brand will be a massive one after this. Anna Wintour will probably help her. Prediction: The proceeds will go to a victim’s abuse cause.
Charities are always a good look!
Maybe after they were married, he did threaten her with retaliation of all kinds to keep her with him (kill her career, take the kids, etc) but let’s not pretend that the rumors weren’t widespread by the time she met him. It annoys me when people compare this situation with the person they knew down the street that lived a double life and fooled their family for years. This is not the same- we’re talking about whole industries that had at least some kind of knowledge of what Harvey was doing, years and years before they met. Now, I can believe that she decided not to listen to the rumors and that she felt that by pursuing a relationship with him, the advantages outweighed the negatives. But please, to act like this woman had absolutely no clue of what was going on is ridiculous.
There’s no way that she couldn’t have had an inkling. But it was easier for her to ignore or deny it, until it would look unconscionable on her part to deny it any longer. At least she’s not pulling a Camille Cosby. And the focus should be on this nasty pig and his crimes and all his associates who knowingly enabled and abetted his behaviour. I’ll bet that no Hollywood starlet will be caught dead in the ghastly Marchesa gowns anymore. Which is probably another good thing to come out of this whole nastiness. Georgina is a no talent trophy wife and she needs to be gone as a fashion designer.
Cheating yes but a sexual predator, no. I don’t think she knew. Giving her the benefit of the doubt.
This guy’s sounds like he is a flight risk ala Polinski. He has enough $ to flee and not return.
The list continues with new victims coming foward daily. He is a pariah and rightly so
I emphasize with all of his children, the adults and minors. This is truly sick!
I wonder if there’s some way for the government (who would have jurisdiction — New York? California?) to freeze his finances. My bet is he already started hiding/transferring assets.
The silence of the project runway cast is notable, IMO. Heidi? Tim? Zac? Nina?
To me it looks like she couldn’t wait for all of his abuse to go public so she could leave safely, out in the public eye, having the ptotection of what people now know about him thanks to the women who have spoken out. The fact that she is wealthy and beautiful does not make her less of a victim. This pod couldn’t have been doing all that he was and coming home to her and having a ‘normal’, tomantic evening in with his wife. I’m just imagining what their horrific home life must have looked like and she probably slowly over time got used to many different levels of abuse and manipulation by him. She may have seen the light, so to speak, a while ago, but was in no state to leave him. People speaking up may have given her the push she desperately needed. Just my two cents.
Those poor kids.
Read Glenn Close’s reaction. Sorry I don’t ha’ve the link. Her’s has been the most honest of all. Look up her name regarding this whole thing.