2017 Was the Year Sexual Assault by Powerful Men Was Exposed
In October 2017, when reports about media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s long, sordid history of sexual misconduct became public, no one could have predicted what would follow. We hoped for outrage, we hoped for action but what happened next exceeded our wildest dreams (even after the tumultuous year we’ve experienced). Women everywhere began to speak out in a way that they had not before. Enough was enough in Hollywood, it was enough in sports, and it was enough in government. The #MeToo movement allowed women to digitally band together to say: You can no longer behave this way. And many men, with #howwillichange and #ididit began looking at their own behavior. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how we spark change.
Since Harvey Weinstein, we’ve seen nearly 100 men in entertainment, sports and politics accused of sexual misconduct. Highlighted below are thirty of them. However, so as not to depress anyone, let’s make one thing clear, we here at PROOF believe times they are a-changin’. This whole “blowing the lid” off sexual harassment and assault in 2017 was not for nothing. The more we tell these stories, the more we keep the subject in the forefront of our minds and our discussions, the more effective we will be in reducing the number of claims and empowering victims to share their stories and demand that assailants are held accountable.
1. Harvey Weinstein
The man who began it all (and whose downfall gave us the term “Weinstein effect” in the process), Weinstein’s nearly three decade long history of sexual assault and harassment included big, recognizable names like Salma Hayek, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, and Angelina Jolie. Weinstein was fired from his own company, his wife left him, is facing numerous civil lawsuits and is under criminal investigation in the US and UK.
2. Ben Affleck
After condemning Weinstein’s actions on social media, Affleck found himself accused of sexual misconduct on the set of ‘TRL’ (a popular MTV show back in the day), where he groped actress and then-host Hilarie Burton’s breast. Affleck apologized for acting inappropriately.
3. Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone condemned Weinstein’s actions, but was also soon under fire when women began coming forward to tell their stories of his misconduct. Patricia Arquette spoke of the “weird” encounter she had with the director, who sent her flowers and got upset with her when she brought a boyfriend to an industry event.
4. David Blaine
The magician was accused of raping model Natasha Prince in London in 2004. Scotland Yard (London police department) is currently investigating the matter.
5. James Toback
The Hollywood director has been accused of sexually harassing scores of women. According to reports, Toback, much like Weinstein, had an MO (modus operandi: a Latin word, used in both the law and the rest of the world to mean a particular way of doing something) which was that he would lead women back to his hotel room under the guise of an audition, where he would attempt to get them to engage with him in sexual acts and ask suggestive questions about masturbation. The predatory behavior even affected actresses like Selma Blair, who publicly shared her story.
6. Ken Baker
The E! Correspondent was slapped with sexual harassment allegations by two women, one who claimed he asked her to sit on his lap, another claimed he propositioned her for sex and texted her that he wanted to give her a sex toy from Tiffany that had his name engraved on it. E! Is taking the allegations seriously and is currently investigating the claims. Baker denies the claims saying he was “disturbed by the anonymous allegations.”
7. Kevin Spacey
Spacey stands accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct. Most notably is the sexual assault allegation made by actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was just 14 years old. Spacey felt quickly the pain of his actions. He was written off ‘House of Cards’, was replaced in the already shot film, ‘All the Money in the World’, and, among other things, is now seen as the disgraced former artistic director of the very reputable Old Vic theater in London (Spacey faces 20 allegations of inappropriate behavior during his 11 year tenure there).
8. Jeremy Piven
The ‘Entourage’ actor was accused of groping Ariane Bellamar on set and two more allegations by two other women followed. Piven has categorically denied all claims but CBS has said that amid the sexual misconduct allegations it is ending Piven’s current show, ‘Wisdom of the Crowd.’
9. Brett Ratner
The director was accused of sexually harassing and/or assaulting six women in a report. Those included in the report were actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge. The report included allegations of discussing sex in an explicit and graphic manner, forcing women to perform oral sex, and masturbating in front of one woman. Ratner also was allegedly present when music producer Russell Simmons sexually assaulted a young actress, failed to stop the assault, and never said a word about it.
10. Dustin Hoffman
Actress Anna Graham Hunter wrote an essay describing the sexual harassment she endured while on set with Dustin Hoffman during the show ‘Death of a Salesman’. Hoffman did not deny the allegations, but apologized for putting her in an uncomfortable situation. Hoffman has also been accused of exposing himself to a young woman in high school (she attended the same school Hoffman’s daughter attended) and of sexually assaulting two other women. Two of the women have made their names public, including, Cori Thomas, the one who was in high school at the time of the assault.
11. Ed Westwick
The ‘Gossip Girl’ actor has been accused by two women of rape. The reports by both women are eerily similar—they arrived at Westwick’s home via Uber, they drank, went into a bedrooms separate from Westwick’s to sleep and then Westwick came to the room and raped them. Actress Katrina Cohen, one of the victims, describes the incident in a detailed Facebook post. Westwick denies the allegations.
12. Jeffrey Tambor
The ‘Transparent’ star was accused of sexual misconduct by his former assistant, which he explained away as a “disgruntled employee.” Things got harder to ignore he was accused of misconduct on set by his costar, Trace Lysette, who said he made lewd comments to her while she wore pajamas for a scene and even went so far as to press himself into her while backing her into a corner. Tambor has left the hit show as a result.
13. Steven Seagal
Portia de Rossi alleged that, during an audition, the director “unzipped his leather pants” and that when she told her agent about the assault, her agent was not surprised, saying simply that she’s “didn’t know if he was [Portia’s] type.” Seagal has been accused of sexual misconduct in the past, but has not denied these claims specifically.
14. Roy Moore
Thank goodness Moore lost the Alabama Senate race, but his presence on the national stage stirred up controversy when he was accused of sexual misconduct by 9 women. Three of the women alleged that he had sexually assaulted them. Moore was 31 at the time of an alleged incident with a then-16-year-old and 32 at the time of the alleged incident with a then-14-year-old.
15. Louis CK
The New York Times published a report including the experiences of two women who alleged that the comedian masturbated in front of them, and another woman who alleges that he did so while on the phone with her. Louis CK acknowledged that the allegations were true and expressed remorse for taking advantage of the admiration the women had for him by exposing himself.
16. George Takei
The comedian and former ‘Star Trek’ star has been accused of groping model Scott Brunton while he was unconscious nearly 40 years ago. The LGBT activist denied the allegations with a series of tweets that called them “antithetical to his values and practices.”
17. Al Franken
Journalist Leeann Tweeden alleged that Franken groped and kissed her without her consent in 2006, saying that he repeatedly tried to kiss her in rehearsal for a comedy skit. Franken resigned from his senate seat as a result of the allegations.
18. Russell Simmons
Keri Claussen Khalighi claimed that, when she was 17, Simmons coerced her into performing oral sex in 1991 and of penetrating her without her consent. Simmons denies the allegation and called the sexual encounter “consensual.” On November 30, 2017, he announced that he would be stepping down from his company.
19. Ryan Seacrest
Seacrest’s former wardrobe stylist accused the television/radio host and producer of misconduct, though details have not been released. Seacrest vehemently denies the allegations (and called them reckless) but apologized if he ever made her feel “anything but respected.”
20. Charlie Rose
The television host was accused by eight woman of making inappropriate phone calls, groping them, and walking around naked around them. Rose apologized for his behavior, explaining that he thought his behavior was welcome, but realizes now that it was not. Both CBS and PBS, networks on which Rose had shows, fired him in the wake of the accusations.
21. Nick Carter
The Backstreet Boy was accused of raping Melissa Schuman, who alleged that Carter forcefully took her virginity in 2002. Carter denies the allegations, saying that their sexual relationship was consensual.
22. Matt Lauer
On November 29th, 2017 NBC announced that they had fired Lauer after receiving a complaint about “inappropriate sexual conduct in the workplace” that they believed was not an isolated incident. Of course it wasn’t isolated and the floodgates opened with accounts of Lauer commenting about his co-workers bodies, showing his penis to women in his office, giving colleagues sex toys and detailing how he’d like them to use it, among scores of other disgusting behavior.
23. Geraldo Rivera
Rivera was in hot water for defending Matt Lauer after he was accused of sexual misconduct, but it turns out he may have been speaking from experience. Bette Midler shared an old interview where she accused him of drugging and groping her in the 1970s. Rivera denied it but apologized nonetheless.
24. Danny Masterson
Reportedly actor Danny Masterson is being investigated by LAPD after three women accused him of sexual assault. Danny Masterson has denied these allegations, but that did not stop Netflix from taking action—they wrote him off the series, ‘The Ranch.’ Masterson said in a statement, “In the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.” Please excuse us if we are rolling eyes at this one.
25. Bryan Singer
The director of ‘X-Men’ is currently facing a lawsuit for allegedly raping a then-17-year-old in 2003. Cesar Sanchez-Guzman alleges Singer, forced Cesar to perform oral sex on him while on a party on a yacht. Singer denies the allegations and fired back with accusations that Sanchez-Guzman is looking for money in light of his declaring bankruptcy.
26. Trent Franks
Congressman Trent Franks resigned on December 7th, 2017 after serving in the House of Representatives since 2003 following an ethics inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment of two female subordinates.
27. Mario Batali
The celebrity chef was accused of touching women inappropriately, causing him to step away from his company. Batali didn’t admit to the allegations outright, saying that “the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I’ve acted.” So essentially, he can’t put names to the women he has assaulted, but he recognizes his behavior. Nice.
28. Mark Halperin
Political analyst and journalist Mark Halperin has been accused by multiple women of sexually harassing them while he was at ABC News. His current employers, NBC and MSNBC, suspended him pending investigations and then terminated him.
29. Morgan Spurlock
The ‘Super Size Me’ actor was his own whistleblower, posting to social media to say that he had been accused of rape on top of separately settling a sexual harassment lawsuit with a former assistant. In his statement he wrote, “I am not some innocent bystander, I am also part of the problem. But I am also part of the solution. By recognizing what I’ve done and openly admitting what I’ve done to further this terrible situation.”
30. TJ Miller
The ‘Silicon Valley’ star has been accused of sexual misconduct at George Washington University. The victim’s allegations are disturbing, with claims that Miller choked, punched, and sexually assaulted her. Miller denied the allegations, saying that the woman accusing him of assault has been trying to break up his relationship since meeting her in college, and that she was capitalizing on the current climate.
If this summary makes you uncomfortable or upset, you’re not alone. It is hard to be let down by celebrities, politicians, and men in positions of power who might have been someone you admire or look up to. In 2018, we encourage you to look toward to the future rather than looking back in disgust. Change is coming.
If you want more details about many of the above claims, simply use our search tool (top right) and search for sexual misconduct. We’ve covered this topic a lot.
