Rose McGowan 'Heart Broken' Over Report Asia Argento Paid Off Her Own Sexual Assault Accuser

Celebrity By TooFab Staff |
Harvey Weinstein's Sexual Misconduct Accusers View Photos
Getty

Rose McGowan says her "heart is broken" following a report fellow Harvey Weinstein accuser and friend Asia Argento has been paying off her own alleged sexual abuse victim.

Both McGowan and Argento are leading figures in the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination against women. The two friends joined fellow women in the entertainment industry last year in banding together to expose movie mogul Weinstein. The late Anthony Bourdain, who dated Argento before he died, had also put his support behind the actress when she came out against Weinstein.

McGowan tweeted early Monday morning in response to a New York Times report claiming her friend had not only been accused of "sexual battery" but had also been making payments to a young male actor, who she allegedly had sexual relations with when he was still underage.

"I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago," McGowan wrote on Twitter Monday. "Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere."

The New York Times reported Sunday evening that Argento arranged to pay her own accuser Jimmy Bennett, who is 20 years her junior, $380,000 over 18 months. In documents obtained by the NYT, Bennett, a young actor and musician, claimed Argento had sexually assaulted him in a Southern California hotel room in 2013 when he was 17 and she was 37. (The age of consent in California is 18.)

The documents also claimed that in result of the "sexual battery" the young star faced emotional trauma which affected his mental health. Bennett, through legal representatives, made the claims privately against Argento just weeks after she publicly came forward in the Weinstein scandal, claiming the media mogul raped her when she was 21.

In addition, the documents said Argento asked to take a number of photos with Bennett on the day of the alleged assault. One image of the two in bed is in the possession of the NYT. There is still an Instagram photo of Argento and Bennett from that same day -- May 9, 2013 -- as well as Argento "waiting" for Bennett in the Marina Del Rey harbor on the actress' Instagram account.

"Waiting for my long lost son my love @jimmymbennett in trepidation #marinadelrey smoking cigarettes like there was no next week," she wrote in the caption.

According to the NYT, the agreement reached between both parties does not bar either Argento or Bennett from speaking about the matter publicly. The agreement only states that Bennett cannot sue or disparage Argento as long as she makes the agreed upon payments.

The NYT contacted Argento's representatives for comment. They also reached out to Bennett. Neither party were willing to respond. TooFab has also reached out for comment.

Bennett co-starred, when he was 7, with Argento in 2004's "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" -- a film she acted in, co-wrote, and directed. They played a mother and son in the movie.

Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

After the news broke, Twitter users, including many journalists and reporters, were outraged as they claimed Argento's alleged inappropriate actions went against the #MeToo movement and everything it stood for.

While others claimed these allegations against Argento do not invalidate her own claims against Weinstein.

Weinstein Accusers Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino Put on United Front at the Oscars