The Harvey Weinstein accusations have struck Tom Arnold deeply. As a survivor of childhood rape, he is worried that the reports of Weinstein preying on women for decades will trigger painful memories for other survivors. And he’s sickened that more men haven’t stood up to abusers.
“We’re men. Why are we letting guys do this to women? What the f— is wrong with us?” he asked. “What is wrong with us?”
In an interview with TheWrap on Tuesday, he also said he has been in touch with Rose McGowan, who the New York Times identified as one of several women who received payments from Weinstein as he tried to silence their accusations of sexual misconduct.
Arnold visited TheWrap to talk about his heavy-metal comedy “Dead Ant,” but the Weinstein story forced a discussion of more serious matters.
“It’s gut-wrenching. It’s awful. And he should be in prison, obviously, and hopefully he will be in prison,” Arnold said.
He added that the problem goes far behind Hollywood — and that sexual harassment was just as much a crisis at a meatpacking plant where he worked before he was famous. The entire culture needs to change, he said, starting at the top. He referenced the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump boasted about grabbing women “by the p—y” without consent.
“With this president, who is a man that has done it — I have been to the Playboy Mansion with the president of the United States right now. And I wasn’t the pervy guy,” he said.