Disgraced mega-producer Harvey Weinstein has arguably become the most notorious man in America.
Weinstein’s dark, depraved sexual crimes were finally exposed after his Hollywood cohorts looked away for years.
Now the once-untouchable mogul is facing a severe punishment he never saw coming.
Harvey Weinstein was one of the most respected men in Hollywood. He co-founded Miramar with his brother Bob and proceeded to produce a string of critically-acclaimed hits that have become iconic films.
Pulp Fiction, Clerks, and Good Will Hunting were just a few of Weinstein’s smashing successes.
But with those hits came a price. The Weinsteins became well-known for their belligerence, Harvey in particular.
There had been rumors for decades that he was at best a lech who personified the sleazy “casting couch” producer, and at worst a sexual predator guilty of criminal assault.
The rumors were so prevalent and mainstream, it uncomfortably became the butt of a Seth MacFarlane joke during the 2013 Oscars.
While announcing the nominees for Best Actress, MacFarlane quipped, “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.”
Years later as the #MeToo began to rage, MacFarlane said his joke came from a place of “anger,” yet he and many others in Hollywood did nothing to stop him.
The day of reckoning finally came for Harvey Weinstein when Ronan Farrow released a bombshell piece that lay bare all of Weinstein’s crimes, and the dark secret could no longer be ignored.
Several big-name actresses came forward and detailed a pattern of criminal abuse.
Weinstein tried to deflect by issuing a mealy-mouthed apology and awkwardly expressing a commitment to gun control and other liberal causes. Normally such a shameless plea to liberalism is enough to get left-wingers of the hook, but it didn’t work.
The Hollywood elite, as well as the Clintons and Oprah Winfrey, finally distanced themselves from Weinstein after looking the other way for years.
Weinstein left the country, but ultimately came back to stand trial for his crimes.
But now another alleged victim has come forward and accused Weinstein of forcible rape. The sum of the charges against Weinstein could land him in prison for life.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. released a statement that highlighted just how severe the charges against Weinstein are:
“A Manhattan grand jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s penal law…This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.”
Weinstein’s fall from grace has been precipitous, but the fact it took so long to reach the precipice is proof of the moral rot in Hollywood.
The casting couch has become an accepted cliché, and predators like Weinstein have been allowed to roam free.
While this is deeply upsetting to the American people, it’s made it even more infuriating because Hollywood elites love to present themselves as the paragon of virtue as they lecture to the rest of the country.
The American people don’t need any more lectures from Hollywood ever again.