Rose McGowan issues lengthy statement distancing herself from Asia Argento

Asia Argento and Rose McGowan participate in a parade on International Women's Day in Rome

Do I have to do some kind of exhaustive recap on the Asia Argento mess? I’ll try to do it simply: Asia Argento manipulated Anthony Bourdain into paying off the young man whom she sexually assaulted when he was just 17 years old. I can’t keep track of all of Argento’s explanations and lies, but I feel like that one-sentence summary covers everything. At first, Argento’s good friend (and fellow Harvey Weinstein victim) Rose McGowan told people to “be gentle” when dealing with Argento. Rose later deleted that tweet and now Rose has issued a lengthy and exhausting statement on the matter. Rose wants us to know several things. One, she’s dating someone and she refers to that person as “the being I’ve been dating – Rain Dove.” Two, Rose is backing away from Asia pretty hard. Three, Asia was lying to her friends about Jimmy Bennett a lot, it seems. Four, I guess Rose thought we were “demanding” that she chime in? We weren’t really. Some highlights from her statement (which you can read in full here):

She doesn’t know Asia that well: “I first met Asia on a red carpet, but it’s only been the past year through our shared experience of the HW case that we have bonded. Asia was a person who understood my trauma in a way that many others didn’t. We were able to talk through them together and champion each other’s voices. We even got matching dot tattoos!”

Rain Dove is involved: “I received a phone call and series of messages from the being I’ve been dating- Rain Dove. They said that they had been texting with Asia and that Asia had revealed that she had indeed slept with Jimmy Bennet. Rain also shared that Asia had stated that she’d been receiving unsolicited nudes of Jimmy since he had been 12. Asia mentioned in these texts that she didn’t take any action on those images. No reporting to authorities, to the parents, or blocking of Jimmy’s social media. Not even a simple message “Don’t send me these images. They are inappropriate.” There were a few other details revealed as well that I am not at liberty to mention in this statement as investigators do their job.

Rose always did the right thing, or so she says: “Rain Dove said that they were going to go to the police with these texts once we were done speaking no matter what. But that they wanted me to be aware of them so that I may be able to take further actions. I responded with “You have to. You must.” I wasted no time. It wasn’t hard to say or support. What was hard was the shell shock of the realisation that everything the MeToo movement stood for was about to be in jeopardy. An hour after our conversation was finished Rain Dove confirmed that they had turned over the texts and were in conversation with officers. Almost 48 hours later the texts were in the press.

She’s sad about Asia’s victim: “Its sad to lose a friend connection, but whats even more sad is what happened to Jimmy Bennet. Whether or not the extortion case is true- it wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. It is the type of thing I fight against alongside so many. The reason I haven’t released a statement is because I’ve frankly been extremely humbled by this event. I had to take a step back and realise that in my own activism while I fight hard with passion- I need to evolve. In the past I have been occasionally angry. As a victim I was justified in fiery feelings. But I know that those accused are the friends, parents, and family members of other people. There absolutely should be no leeway or tolerance for sexual assault. Hard stop. NONE. Victims also shouldn’t be told how they should react or what they should say about their abusers. However as allies to the victim and voyeurs of an event we should find a better way to balance support of the victim with due process for the accused. I’ve never claimed to be perfect. This week especially has made me come to terms with the fact that we all have a lot of growing to do, including myself.

A message to Asia: “Asia you were my friend. I loved you. You’ve spent and risked a lot to stand with the MeToo movement. I really hope you find your way through this process to rehabilitation and betterment. Anyone can be be better- I hope you can be, too. Do the right thing. Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course. Be the person you wish Harvey could have been.

[From Variety]

I wasn’t shocked by Rose’s simultaneous attempt to make this all about how she’s feeling AND all about how she knew everything weeks and days beforehand. Rose always saw herself as the most important person within the Harvey Weinstein case, the biggest victim and the one who stage-managed his downfall (or whatever). Of course she would cast herself in the lead role in Argento’s drama as well. As for her concerns that “everything the MeToo movement stood for was about to be in jeopardy” – not really. Most of us have known for a long time that women can be abusers too. I’m shocked that Rose didn’t claim to have known that before everyone else too.

Asia Argento and Rose McGowan participate in a parade on International Women's Day in Rome

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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54 Responses to “Rose McGowan issues lengthy statement distancing herself from Asia Argento”

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  1. RBC says:

    Is some more crap about Asia about to hit the fan? The statement just seems “off” like Rose is getting ready for an approaching media shitstorm

    • Kaz says:

      Hmm, I wonder if something else is about to come out about Argento.

      • Zapp Brannigan says:

        More minors maybe? Something feels “off” about this. What else could float to the surface with these people.

        Maybe being investigated over those nudes from a 12 year old. (Not a sentence I ever thought I would type out)

      • Mariposa says:

        I wondered that from the start, whether there were more stories out there. Of course, there may be, but the victims might not want to speak out and put themselves in the middle of all of this. Which would be understandable…

        And, omg, who gets nude photos from 12 year olds and doesn’t intervene with parents, etc? (Someone who is grooming them?)

      • RBC says:

        Rose made sure to point out in the statement that she does not know Asia that well. That jumped out at me

      • Missy says:

        @mariposa. I was thinking the same thing. If a 12 year old boy you knew was sending you nude pictures, wouldn’t you go above and beyond to let his parents or someone know. I would never be able to ignore that, especially if it kept happening. This is a bizarre story and gets more disgusting every day

      • Otaku fairy... says:

        @Missy: Exactly. I could see an innocent person actually being scared to go to the authorities over a kid sending them nudes, but at least go to the parents and tell the kid to stop. She just kept accepting the pics because she was grooming him. Disgusting.

    • gf says:

      After this, I feel like she should be advocating for Jimmy Bennett vs. talking about her side of things. It almost comes off defensive, as though another allegation is about to be disclosed to the public.

  2. jessamine says:

    Rose was repeatedly traumatized first by her rape and then by the press manipulations of her rapist — she has not healed and apparently doesn’t have anyone around her who can help her find a place of healing. Her self-centeredness in all of this is really more pitiful than arrogant.

    • jwoolman says:

      I think Rose was this way long before Weinstein. She is simply the center of her universe. Some people are just like that. They never get past the infantile stage emotionally.

      She is trying to convince herself and others that regardless of any other scandals swirling around her, she did the right thing at all times. She’s understandably having trouble with this one, because she latched on to the woman as someone who understood her own situation and now she has to deal with the fact that this woman was also a predator.

      She’s not evil, just disturbed and dangerous to have around as a coworker on any issue. People really should pay less attention to her and just hope for the best.

      • Leigh-Klein says:

        She has let it consume her and cannot move on. She wallows.

      • jessamine says:

        I wasn’t really aware of Rose before Weinstein but I think both of you have it right. But instead of ongoing stories about her narcissism or privileged white feminism I wish people could just say “this is a really broken person who is not in full possession of herself” and stop giving her a platform.

  3. angie_0717 says:

    I want to have something patient, insightful, caring to say but the only thing that wants to spill out of my brain and my mouth is: nut job.

  4. Jess says:

    I wouldn’t be surprised if she has more victims. The texts between Asia and whoever she was talking to about the age of consent in other countries made me really uncomfortable, like who knows that stuff offhand and can spout it out so quickly?!? I sure as shit don’t, no need to know that unless you’re a predator.

  5. Mere says:

    So basically Anthony Bourdain maybe did kill himself because of this woman.

    • Guest says:

      I was wondering the same

    • Montréalaise says:

      It’s possible. From his friends’ accounts, Bourdain was hopelessly head-over-heels in love with her. I also read that he was not rich and the settlement he paid on Argento’s behalf represented about half of his savings. If he then finds out she lied to him, manipulated him and cheated on him – that would send anyone into an emotional tailspin. We have to remember he was fragile emotionally and had battled depression and suicidal thoughts for years – he once said in an interview that even getting a bad meal could send him into a depressive state for days. Finding out the truth about Argento might just have been too much for him to handle.

    • Darla says:

      I suspect that if you haven’t struggled with depression your entire life, you can’t be “driven” to suicide. Well, other than extreme circumstances, like the loss of children or something catastrophic like that. But I don’t think you can be driven to it over a love affair, especially of one year duration.
      So it’s hard to feel where to come down on this, for me. I basically think she did drive him to it, yeah. But then I wonder if that’s “fair”. And then I realize I don’t really care if it’s fair because my GAWD this woman is awful.

    • isabelle says:

      She maybe was the match, but doubt anyone would kill themselves over one person when there is no background of depression. Its usually a build up and yes an event/bad relationship may be the tipping point if there is a history of black moods.

    • Erinn says:

      There are very very few situations where I think you can say “x person killed themselves because of y person”, this isn’t really one of them. He chose to take his life. I assume mental health issues are the root of it, and I feel pretty uncomfortable chalking it up to a specific person in any case other than the really sad ones we’ve seen where someone literally convinced someone else that killing themselves is a good idea.

    • Snowflake says:

      That’s a terrible thing to say, to put that burden on her. Would you take your life over a love affair? I wouldn’t and I doubt any of us would. I was 16 and turned a guy down for a date. He tried to commit suicide shortly after that, and people said it was my fault. No, it wasn’t. And it’s not fair to blame her for Bourdain’s death. He had a history of depression. Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel’s back but not the sole cause of her suicide. I think they probably had an open relationship.

      • Melbelle says:

        It is never anyone’s fault when someone commits suicide, because that is their own decision/act. That said, as someone who has struggled with depression, a failed romance can ABSOLUTELY send a depressed person into a tailspin with terrible consequences. Really, anything can.

    • Jess says:

      No you definitely can’t say that, she’s a terrible person but Anthony chose to take his own life, that’s on him alone and no one else.

  6. Kaz says:

    Being a rape victim does not automatically make you a good person. You can be a rape victim and a bad person. You can be a rape victim and a complete narcissist.

    • SM says:

      Yes. Also it is bad when a narcissist insists on and wills themselves into a position of spokesperson for sensitive causes such as sexual assault that touches millions. It is like they are the only ones who had to go though such trauma. Also so high of Rose to ask for another chance for Asia. Does she also think her rapist deserves another chance?

  7. Kiki says:

    Asia’s mental illness can’t just be that she was born a “bad seed”. People don’t become as sick as she is in a vacuum. I wonder if she had abuses as a child that went unaddressed that led her to become such a disturbed individual. Not that it really matters, but I’m trying to find some empathy. As for Rose, she comes off as disingenuous and narcissistic, but doesn’t seem anywhere near the level of mental illness we are finding out about Asia.

    • Someone mentioned that Asia’s father is a director. They said she was in at least one of his films at a young age, and that her character was tortured and raped. I didn’t look into it because, I just can’t. But who knows what something like that does to a person. Who knows if she was protected or suffered like other child actors. All that said, there is no excuse, most people who are abused do not go on to be abusers.

      • Eleonor says:

        It was me.
        She is the daughter of Dario Argento (there will be the Suspiria remake this fall) but she has started her career as a child not only for her father (thanks wikipedia).

    • Jenn says:

      Asia in my opinion has been victimized since childhood by her father and others . It was normalized due to the fact her father was celebrated and famous, and also due to the culture she was born into where teens are fair game for grown men.

      Obviously the fact she dated Weinstein after getting raped by him shows she has severe, severe issues. She was used to such treatment and was already a pro at learning to live with being harmed by authority figures.

      As an artistic creative type she’s benefitted and been harmed by being born the daughter of Argento.

      I’ve seen statements that she doesn’t feel or didn’t feel violated by being in her dads films getting raped and abused but I dont know that it’s possible to not internalize that lack of protection from a parent. It’s no surprise she had Bennett’s child character get raped in the movie she directed. It’s deeply sad and abusive of course. Some personalities react to their own abuse by inflicting what was done to them on others, including children.

  8. Maddy says:

    These two need to go away. Their massive egos got the best of them and they’re doing the #metoo movement no favors. In the above pic of them, Asia has crazy eyes and looks psychotic while Rose’s cold, dead eyes are really creeping me out.

  9. Floydee Mercer says:

    I admire McGowan’s talent, vulnerability, bravery and honesty. She is not perfect but I believe she means well even though sometimes her passionate postulations may seem somewhat half cocked. There is no telling the depths of depravity she endured being born and raised in the Children of God.

    • jwoolman says:

      Her parents were briefly in the cult and she says they got out before anything like that happened. It doesn’t sound as though the cult is the origin of her issues.

  10. Rapunzel says:

    None of this statement explains why rose tweeted that we needed to be gentle and wait for more information. It’s clear she’s trying to cover her butt here.

  11. Ty says:

    Both Rose and Asia needs to take their smug faces and disappear

    They both used and rose is still using something important, rather coopting it for cheap, public image makeover .

    Rose is soo problematic.

  12. Mariko says:

    Rain Dove is a very visible LGBTQIA activist. They are non binary, and have self identified as a “being” or “human being”. They’ve also modeled for Calvin Klein and other big brands. Rain is not just somebody, they’re a badass:) After reading her statement, Rose sounded slightly more grounded than she usually does, and I’m guessing that was influenced by Rain. Also glad that Rain had the conviction to do what’s right by going to the police with the info that Asia had been receiving nudes since Jimmy was 12 and never once went to his parents, told him to stop, or blocked his number, and in fact tweeted the weird encouraging things she did to him. Asia is twisted and vile. I do believe what Rose says about not knowing about Asia. Asia keep proving she’s a liar and a manipulator.

    Edit: Agreed that Rose has to always insert herself into others experiences and stories. It’s slightly encouraging she is aware she needs to evolve.

  13. Electric Tuba says:

    I’m tired of evil being equated with mental illness. You can be a piece of chit who does horrible things and have no mental illness what so ever. Learned behaviors are also not mental illness.

    Remember these two clowns statements after Bourdains death? “Asia did the work to get better. Anthony didn’t” That’s what this clown of a woman said. Well no honey, she did no work besides toiling to grift and cover a crime.

    Rose was out in Hollywood being a terrible person before her alleged rape. So sick of this chit.

    I’m sure you guys are tired of reading and writing about it too. It’s exhausting and disturbing.

  14. Amy Tennant says:

    It sounds like Rose feels like she’s responsible for the whole Me, Too movement/phenomenon.

    “I responded with “You have to. You must.” I wasted no time. It wasn’t hard to say or support. What was hard was the shell shock of the realisation that everything the MeToo movement stood for was about to be in jeopardy.”

    Rain Dove of course contacted their partner to give them a heads up, especially because Rose had been associated with Asia. And Rain wasn’t asking for permission (at least Rose does make that clear). But it sounds like Rose thinks of herself as the Me, Too club president. I wish Tarana Burke was given more credit. And Tarana is the one who most prominently I think steps out and verbally reminds us all that we shouldn’t look for model survivors. Not Asia, both survivor and victimizer. Not Jimmy, both survivor and possible extortionist. And not Rose, both survivor and a-hole. Not me, either!
    Heck, when you think about the fact that nearly every single woman you know and likely a good percentage of the men and even children too fit in the me, too category, it only makes sense that there are imperfect, and troubled, and mentally ill, and even just vile human beings in that mix (not the kids). This isn’t a defense of Asia by any means. It’s just a description of how widespread the problem is.

    • Mariko says:

      Completely agree. Tarana handles it so respectfully and gracefully despite Rose’s
      co-opt. Trevor Noah had on Tarana as a guest earlier this summer and it was nice to see her being booked to speak on the movement she started rather than Rose, Asia or Amber Tamblyn; the self appointed Club Comittee. I am wondering how many times some of these women have credited or acknowledged Tarana in public interviews, I’m guessing little to none. I’m also surprised with Rain being with Rose considering her problematic history with the lgbtq community.

  15. Original T.C. says:

    Just googled Rain Dove and the top search is “Who is Rain Dove” along with the Rose McGown story. LOL! At least I’m not alone in my ignorance.

  16. Jamie42 says:

    I just looked up Rain Dove (thanks to earlier posters) who says they will issue a statement tomorrow about McGowan’s tweet. So the story continues . . ..

  17. isabelle says:

    Asia was parading around with a younger man ( a young version of Anthony) about a month- or two month before Anthony comitted sucide. This after he paid off her accuser. Public affection and touching. What a toxic woman. Its gonna come out she has a pattern and Rose is already making her defense.

  18. Reef says:

    I truly thought this story couldn’t get more disturbing, but she’s been receiving nudes from the guy since he was 12, didn’t tell anybody or stop it, and was still doing that Mommy/Son nonsense on SM?! She should be under a jail. She doesn’t deserve her freedom.

  19. Cojji says:

    This is bitchy and shallow but that photo looks like two awful Halloween masks.

  20. j says:

    Lost me at “the being that I’m dating”. I am SO TIRED of postmodern psychobabble.