Donna Karan 'truly sorry' for controversial Harvey Weinstein comments

Donna Karan is responding to her initial comments about Harvey Weinstein, in which she defended the film mogul and directed the blame toward the way women present themselves while speaking to a reporter for The Daily Mail at CineFashion Film Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

In a statement regarding her interview, Karan said the following:

Last night, I was honored at the Cinemoi Fashion Film Awards in Hollywood and while answering a question on the red carpet I made a statement that unfortunately is not representative of how I feel or what I believe.

I have spent my life championing women. My life has been dedicated to dressing and addressing the needs of women, empowering them and promoting equal rights.

My statements were taken out of context and do not represent how I feel about the current situation concerning Harvey Weinstein.

I believe that sexual harassment is NOT acceptable and this is an issue that MUST be addressed once and for all regardless of the individual.

I am truly sorry to anyone that I offended and everyone that has ever been a victim.

Karan, 69, addressed her previous statements after facing major backlash online on Monday evening, with Rose McGowan and Anthony Bourdain among those in Hollywood to call her out on her remarks.

"Donna Karan you are a DEPLORABLE Aiding and abetting is a moral crime. You are scum in a fancy dress," tweeted McGowan. Meanwhile, Bourdain posted an old, suggestive Donna Karan New York ad campaign and wrote, "To @dkny How many seventeen year olds have you dressed like they are, in your words, "asking for it "?" (Karan stepped down from her namesake company in 2015 to spend more time investing in her Urban Zen Foundation.)

While attending the CineFashion Film Awards, Karan told a reporter for The Daily Mail that Weinstein and his wife, fashion designer and Marchesa co-founder Georgina Chapman, are "wonderful people" and that the producer has done "some amazing things." She continued, "It's not Harvey Weinstein, you look at everything all over the world today and what [women] are asking by just presenting themselves the way they do."

The designer also seemingly made the Weinstein accusations more about the accusers themselves. "To see it here in our own country is very difficult, but I also think, how do we display ourselves? How do we present ourselves as women? What are we asking? Are we asking for it by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality? And what are we throwing out to our children today about how to dance and how to perform and what to wear? How much should they show?"

Weinstein was fired from his own company on Sunday after The New York Times article was followed up by more reports of sexual harassment against the film executive. A number of women have since come forward about Weinstein's unacceptable behavior.