Harvey Weinstein's former assistant speaks out after explosive allegations
A former member of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's inner circle is speaking out after nearly 30 women have come forward to say they were abused or harassed by Weinstein. He was one of Weinstein's personal assistants in the 2000s.
The former assistant, who did not want to be identified and asked us to alter his voice, told CBS News' Bianna Golodryga he feels he and others who worked for Weinstein were victims as well.
"It was no secret that he had scores of women all across the globe," he said.
The assistant says it was well known that his boss was a philanderer. But he says Weinstein went to great lengths to keep his most private moments secret.
"We would be told at 2 o'clock so-and-so was coming to the room – make yourself scarce. And we wouldn't ever be there, we would be gone. And then he would call us an hour or two later and say 'OK, come back up,' and that was it," he recalled.
It wasn't until the recent reports of personal stories from Weinstein's alleged victims, including accusations of rape, that this former assistant says he realizes what may have actually been going on behind closed doors.
"Sick. Angry. Disgusted – victimized in our own right. It seems almost like the company was structured from the top to bottom to service whatever it was he was doing," the assistant said of how he feels now.
Weinstein's reputation as a womanizer was known as Hollywood's worst-kept secret.
Actor Seth MacFarlane alluded to the alleged abuse when he announced the Academy Award nominees for best supporting actress in 2013.
"Congratulations. You five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein," MacFarlane said, and the audience laughed.
MacFarlane explained his comment Wednesday. He says he wanted to "take a hard swing" at the studio head after a friend told him Weinstein had harassed her.
"Make no mistake, this came from a place of loathing and anger," he said.
The board of the Weinstein Company has said it is "shocked and dismayed" by the allegations, calling them "an utter surprise," but the news is perhaps not so surprising to many others in Hollywood.
"Many people were aware of his reputation as an alleged sexual predator. There are a lot of people who enabled him in this way and a lot of people tried to shield themselves," said Hollywood Reporter editor-at-large Kim Masters.
Weinstein's former assistant says the revelations have been painful, but are needed to send Hollywood a message.
"I hope this is a watershed moment. This is unacceptable. And it should never happen again," he said.
While the assistant says he never witnessed someone being victimized and insists he never knowingly helped facilitate Weinstein's alleged secret meetings, at least one actress says a different Weinstein associate deliberately tricked her into visiting Weinstein's room alone.
