We spent all of last week talking about Asia Argento. Argento and Anthony Bourdain “paid off” a young man named Jimmy Bennett when Bennett privately accused Asia of sexually assaulting him when he was just 17 years old. Asia’s story has already changed a few times, but I think the version she landed on was that nothing happened, or if something did happen, it was consensual, or maybe it didn’t matter because he was obsessed with her. Some version of that, it seemed like she told different versions to different people, including Bourdain. Late last week, Jimmy Bennett issued his own statement and well… I believe him. I think Asia assaulted him. And now it seems that in the Me Too era, female predators are treated the same way as male predators: they lose their jobs too.
Asia Argento has been dropped as a judge on the latest season of X Factor Italy after facing sexual assault allegations earlier this month, multiple outlets have reported. The Italian actress and singer, 42, will still appear in the first seven episodes of the show which covered the auditions, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Argento will then be replaced by a new judge when the show starts airing live on Oct. 25. The show starts airing on Sept. 6.
Allegations of sexual assault against Argento were first brought to light by a report in the New York Times, which claimed former child actor Jimmy Bennett had accused the actress of assault last fall in a letter sent to Argento and her late boyfriend Anthony Bourdain. Bennett alleged that Argento kissed him before performing oral sex on him and engaging in intercourse at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, California when he was 17, according to the Times.
I thought Asia was already persona non grata in Italy? Wasn’t that the story, that the paparazzi and press made her life a living hell in Italy and she had to flee the country? But now it seems that she was hired to act as a judge on a popular X-Factor franchise? I’m starting to get the feeling that Asia Argento is one of those people who is always “the victim” in all of her stories, and that her public posture of victimhood has covered up a variety of lies and crimes.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.
This is appropriate…..
I knew something was creepy about her
She is some kind of messed up.
and her poor kids that have to read about this
Ugh. Yes, the kids must now feel terrible.
Good.
She will still be there for all the auditions (and maybe the home visits? Not sure), as it was already filmed. Really unfortunate casting choice.
Good, predators, male or female should have the same treatment.
Well she IS a victim of Wienstien. That she is also an abuser herself, doesn’t undo that fact.
But yea, she seems like a total POS.
In Italy you are fired from your job as a judge on a TV show.
In America you are elected President.
Sounds about right.
Vicious circle, abuse. Without help, sometimes the abused go on to be abusers. No excuse though. She is as disgusting as Weinstein.
Hi chef, I looked up some stats on this last week. Women, in particular, hardly ever go on to become abusers. In the study I looked at, 1% of women who were abusers said they had been abused! (Given that the number of abused people is much, much higher than the number of abusers, this means that the number of women who have been abused and go on to abuse is minuscule.)
I am Italian, all I can say about her is that she has always been a mess: she has started her career in her father’s movies (hello nepotism), as an actress she is not that much (as far as I know) then she has always presented herself like the “dark lady”, the transgressive and cool one in order to get attention but without really succeeding. After that she had a long relationship with an Italian musician (a trainwreck on his own, but a talented one) and they were the most insufferable couple I’ve ever seen. Honestly I’ve never understood what was her job. Except being famous
The only thing I can say: I am really sorry for her daughter.
I saw the clip of her strutting down the red carpet, stopping suddenly and sticking her face in front of the camera with her arm in the air, I get what you mean about insufferable. I never saw anyone so self absorbed.
I wondered if she was Dario’s daughter, but never bothered to Google. Bummer, I really like his movies!
Glad Italy’s X-Factor is doing a better job than the Pope of holding child sexual predators to account! (Argento looks a lot like Marion Cotillard in the first photo.)
I’m happy to hear that. I think it’s very appropriate. She’s a hypocrite, and deserves the same treatment as other guilty sexual assailants.