Hours after disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was arrested Friday morning, actress and Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan shared her reaction to seeing him in handcuffs.
“I don’t ever want to see him again,” she told Megyn Kelly on “Today.” “I think the world could use that face being gone.”
Weinstein was arrested in New York City on charges of rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct stemming from a months-long investigation by the NYPD into accusations by multiple women. Weinstein, 66, surrendered to authorities at Manhattan’s first precinct in Tribeca, just blocks away from the offices of his former film and TV empire, The Weinstein Company.
Kelly sat down with McGowan for the first half of her show Friday, where the #MeToo activist spoke about the arrest and her crusade to take down the man who she accuses of raping her 20 years ago.
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“To see him do the Bill Cosby old man perp walk on the way in…that’s a very good thing,” McGowan added. “This is a big strike into the heart of abusive power.”
At least 80 women have accused Weinstein of assault, harassment and inappropriate conduct. The avalanche of accusations against the Oscar-winning mogul spawned the global #MeToo movement, throwing a spotlight on sexual misconduct in the workplace across many industries.
“I wanted to show people that if you cut off the head of power that it would clean house down. Instead of being activist biting ankles I wanted to go to the head,” McGowan continued.
What would McGowan say to Weinstein if she were ever to come face-to-face with him again? “We got you.”
McGowan also spoke about the growing list of powerful people in Hollywood who have seen their careers derailed following accusations of sexual assault or improper behavior. On Thursday, eight women accused Morgan Freeman of unwanted touching and harassment, which has caused Visa to suspend its marketing campaigns with the actor.
“I know there’s fatigue, and I know it’s hard for people to see day after day, ‘what? I thought he was a good guy?” McGowan said. “I’m sorry. I wish it were true, and you know, I think if we can get the rotten apples, get rid of them then great people can come up and flourish. I think we need that as a society.”
At the end of the segment, Kelly asked McGowan if she could ever see herself forgiving Weinstein.
“I don’t want to, because it’s not about me,” she replied. “I want to forgive the world for hurting people and he’s a part of that… maybe I’ll get there someday.”