Harvey Weinstein terminated from Weinstein Company
Harvey Weinstein has been terminated as co-chairman of The Weinstein Company.
"In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days...the directors of The Weinstein Company -— Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," read a statement.
The board made the decision to oust Weinstein at a meeting held Sunday afternoon. The move comes as Weinstein was insisting that he maintain a path to return to the company after an indefinite leave of absence. TWC is now being run by his brother and TWC co-chairman Bob Weinstein alongside president/COO David Glasser.
A response to a message to Weinstein's attorney, Charles Harder, for comment from the mogul steered media requests to Sallie Hofmeister of strategic communications firms Sitrick and Company, who told The Hollywood Reporter: "I can’t reach him at the moment. He’s unavailable. Apologies." Sources say Weinstein has been staying at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills since Friday night.
The stunning turn of events followed an Oct. 5 New York Times report detailing sexual harassment claims spanning decades on the part of the mogul. The TWC board first held a contentious meeting Thursday night, during which Weinstein pled his case. On Friday, the board reconvened.
Later that evening, after the board announced the leave of absence, a TV news reporter told the HuffPost about an incident a decade ago in which Weinstein masturbated in front of her in a hallway at Cafe Socialista restaurant in New York, ejaculating into a potted plant. On Sunday, writer and artist Liza Campbell recounted, in the Sunday Times, that Weinstein once asked her to "jump in the bath" with him as she heard him disrobe after summoning her to his hotel room in the Savoy for what she believed was a business meeting.
Since The Times report, three members of the nine-member, all-male board of The Weinstein Co. have now resigned. They include Dirk Ziff, Tim Sarnoff and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, who joined the board when former Cablevision CEO (and close friend of Harvey Weinstein) James Dolan vacated his seat in June 2016. Today's statement was jointly made by the four remaining members of the board — Bob Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar.
For nearly four decades, Harvey Weinstein was the don of indie film, and a force of nature. The last two years, however, have seen his golden touch wane. The company he runs with his brother had endured a tough run at the box office.
Read the TWC board's full statement below:
In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately.
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