If it's been quieter on the sexual harassment front during the holiday season, the loud statement made during the Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday has awakened new voices, and brought new lift into the long-time champions of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
Oprah Winfrey found herself a target amid a sea of accolades following her presidential Golden Globes speech. Seal took to Instagram to call out her long relationship with Harvey Weinstein. Elsewhere, Mira Sorvino penned a heartfelt apology to Woody Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow.
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View StoryJohnathon Schaech, who you'll remember as the lead singer of The Wonders in "That Thing You Do," levied claims of sexual assault against director Franco Zeffirelli, while James Franco patently refused to "actively refute" the list of allegations growing against him. Corey Feldman, who has been actively trying to expose sexual abuse of minors in Hollywood for years, denied a sexual battery allegation brought against him.
Here are the latest developments:
Seal Says Oprah Winfrey Knew About Harvey Weinstein
While most people were tweeting #Oprah2020, Seal was shaking his head. The singer took to Instagram on Wednesday with a post featuring two images of Winfrey cozying up with disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein. "When you have been part of the problem for decades but suddenly they all think you are the solution," he wrote, superimposed on the image.
Seal didn't stop there, though, adding a caption to the post that doubled down on his accusation.
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View StoryMira Sorvino Apologizes to Dylan Farrow
In an open letter published on The Huffington Post, Mira Sorvino apologized to Dylan Farrow for working with Woody Allen. Dylan has long alleged that her father molested her when she was seven years old; Allen has denied it.
"I never personally experienced what has now been described as inappropriate behavior toward young girls," Sorvino wrote of her time working with Allen. "But this does not excuse my turning a blind eye to your story simply because I wanted desperately for it not to be so."
Sorvino opened up to Dylan's brother, Ronan Farrow, about her own experiences with Weinstein for his exposé published by New Yorker, and it was through this process that she sought to understand Dylan's story better and came to believe it.
"Even if you love someone, if you learn they may have committed these despicable acts, they must be exposed and condemned, and this exposure must have consequences," Sorvino wrote. "I will never work with him again."
Farrow responded with a very heartfelt tweet thanking her:
@MiraSorvino, I am overwhelmed and my gratitude to you cannot be expressed sufficiently in words. This letter is beautiful and I will carry your words with me. Your courage has been boundless and your activism an example for us all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. https://t.co/8U73mb2twD
@realdylanfarrow
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View StoryJohnathon Schaech Accuses Director Franco Zeffirelli
The actor best known for his lead role in Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!" has accused director Franco Zeffirelli of sexual harassment and abuse during the production of 1993 drama "Sparrow." It was one of Schaech's first films.
"He was trying to seduce me, under the guise of teaching me, from the start," Schaech told People.
He alleged that Zeffirelli followed him around, and would even try to come up to his room at night. One night, Shaech said the director got a key and he awoke to find Zeffirelli standing above him. "He molested me in my bed," Schaech said. "He put his hands in places that I couldn't even imagine and he did things that I am not proud of."
As for why he didn't stop the older director, Schaech said, "There's a moment when someone is being violated by a predator where it is a clear form of violence that creates trauma in the body. We have a fight or flight response. People say they 'leave their bodies' and that's what I did."
Zeffirelli's son called the accusations against his father, now 94, "not credible."
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View StoryJames Franco Refutes, Chooses Not to Refute
Despite saying the allegations brought against him were "not accurate," James Franco has said he will not present his side of events.
He told Seth Meyers on "Late Night" Wednesday, "I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say just because I believe in it that much."
Those stories now come from five different women alleging varying degrees of sexual misconduct, per a new report in the Los Angeles Times. The allegations range from Franco getting angry that a woman refused to go topless for a scene to removing "plastic guards covering the actresses' vaginas while simulating oral sex on them."
The casting director from that film refuted the last claim, per TMZ, saying she "personally checked on all the actresses constantly to make sure they were OK and comfortable."
Franco told Meyers, "If I have to take a knock because I'm not going to try and actively refute things, then I will, because I believe in it that much."
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View StoryCorey Feldman Denies Sexual Battery Allegation
The former child star has been one of the loudest voices in the #MeToo era, decrying the sexual abuse of children in the entertainment industry; something he says he and his late friend Corey Haim both suffered. But now the activist has to deal with a sexual battery accusation brought against him.
"Corey remains focused on his mission to fight the war of inappropriate behavior towards men and women of all ages. Given his own painful experiences, the last thing he would ever want to do is make anyone else feel the way that he did," a representative for Feldman told People in a statement. "He is confident that the motives behind these false accusations will be revealed and that the truth will prevail."
The LAPD reports that a woman filed a police report on Monday referring to an incident in February 2017. According to TMZ, the charge is that he grabbed her buttocks. Per Feldman's statement, "Attorneys are dealing with these egregious accusations and threats that came from Corey's former band members after he canceled his tour."