Nearly a decade after he was accused of sexual assault and rape, Harvey Weinstein still maintains his innocence.
Videos by Suggest
During an on-camera prison interview with conservative political commentator Candace Owens, the former film mogul claimed he was wrongfully convicted of the sexual crimes.
Although he admitted to hurting his family and friends, as well as cheating on his then-wife, Georgina Chapman, Weinstein said his actions were “mistakes” and he hadn’t done anything “illegal.”
“That was a mistake, you know, a terrible mistake,” Weinstein explained. “But I did not commit those crimes. I swear that before God, and the people watching now, and on my family.”
Weinstein also admitted that he was not a good boss. “I was tough and I was demanding, and I should have been better at it, but I wasn’t,” he acknowledged. “I had a temper. “You know, I just should have controlled myself better. And the pressures of that work was my excuse for the cheating.”
Weinstein was first found guilty for criminal sexual act in the first-degree and third-degree rape are from 2020. He was then found guilty of rape in 2022. However, his 2020 conviction has since been overturned due to the judge allowing testimony based on accusations that were not included in the case.
He claimed multiple times in the interview that the overturning of his 2020 conviction is evidence of his innocence. He is currently on trial in New York City and was charged with two counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape. These charges stem from accusations by Kaja Sokola, Miria Haley, and Jessica Mann.
Harvey Weinstein Called Out Some of His Accusers During the Tell-All Interview
Harvey Weinstein then discussed some of his accusers, specifically Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan.
Paltrow alleged that Weinstein had invited her to his hotel room, where he put his hands on her. She also said he suggested giving her a massage. The incident occurred just after he cast her in the 1997 film Emma.
Although he admitted to making a pass at Paltrow, Weinstein claimed he never put his hands on her.
“She thought the relationship was abusive,” he said. “Anybody who was there, who witnessed the relationship with [Paltrow], it just turned into total friends. There’s pictures of her hugging me when I was sick and in the hospital, and didn’t think I was going to make it in 1999. Gwyneth, at the Golden Globes, said, ‘Bomber, we miss you.’ She got up and made a speech about me.”
He then said, “Nodboy asked her to do that. In her Academy speech, she thanks me.”
Weinstein claimed he believed the relationship with Paltrow turned sour after he didn’t like the script for Donna Tartt’s Secret History, which Paltrow and her brother Jake wrote.
After Paltrow, Weinstein turned his attention to McGowan, who claimed in her 2017 The New York Times article that the producer had paid her $100,000 to stay silent about a sexual encounter at the Sundance Film Festival.
Weinstein admitted to paying McGowan, but said it was to make sure his infidelity to his then-wife, Eve Chilton, was kept a secret.
“I settled with Rose McGowan,” he said. “I gave her $100,000, you know, to say… just don’t tell my wife, don’t get me in trouble.”