{"id":86662,"date":"2017-10-16T13:42:30","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T17:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=86662"},"modified":"2017-10-16T13:59:38","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T17:59:38","slug":"weinstein-scandal-ben-affleck-is-now-on-the-firing-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=86662","title":{"rendered":"Weinstein Scandal: Ben Affleck is now on the firing line"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Ben Affleck Condemns Harvey Weinstein, and His Own History of Alleged Sexual Harassment Comes Under Fire<\/h1>\n<p><!--more-->By Rachel Withers<br \/>\nSLATE<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_86666\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/18th-Annual-Critics-Choice-Movie-Awards-Backstage-And-Audience_2.jpeg.CROP_.promo-xlarge2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-86666\" class=\"size-large wp-image-86666\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/18th-Annual-Critics-Choice-Movie-Awards-Backstage-And-Audience_2.jpeg.CROP_.promo-xlarge2-1024x731.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/18th-Annual-Critics-Choice-Movie-Awards-Backstage-And-Audience_2.jpeg.CROP_.promo-xlarge2-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/18th-Annual-Critics-Choice-Movie-Awards-Backstage-And-Audience_2.jpeg.CROP_.promo-xlarge2-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/18th-Annual-Critics-Choice-Movie-Awards-Backstage-And-Audience_2.jpeg.CROP_.promo-xlarge2-768x548.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/18th-Annual-Critics-Choice-Movie-Awards-Backstage-And-Audience_2.jpeg.CROP_.promo-xlarge2.jpg 1180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-86666\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ben Affleck and Harvey Weinstein at the Critics\u2019 Choice Movie Awards in 2013.<br \/>Christopher Polk\/Getty Images for BFCA<\/p><\/div>\n<section class=\"content \">\n<div class=\"newbody body parsys\">\n<div class=\"text-2 text parbase section\">\n<p>As the full extent of Harvey Weinstein\u2019s sexual misconduct unfolds, it\u2019s worth asking: What else does Hollywood have to hide? If the entertainment industry was willing to tolerate Weinstein\u2019s well-known secret for so many years, what other crimes\u2014great and small\u2014have also gone unpunished? The internet is on high alert for past instances of sexual harrassment, even if not on the scale of Weinstein\u2019s serial abuse. Or as this\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/jezebel.com\/whos-next-1819327188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jezebel\u00a0<\/a><\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/jezebel.com\/whos-next-1819327188\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a>\u00a0puts it, \u201cWho\u2019s Next?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ben Affleck is, apparently, as he comes under increased scrutiny for his spotty record with women. Hours after Affleck denounced his longtime collaborator Harvey Weinstein, Twitter users began pointing to Affleck\u2019s own problematic history, including allegedly\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/686319\/ben-affleck-scandal-how-his-alleged-fling-has-become-the-nanny-from-hell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cheating on then-wife Jennifer Garner with their nanny<\/a>\u00a0and groping\u00a0<em>TRL<\/em>\u00a0host Hilarie Burton in 2003, something one user alleged \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/ShaniceBrim\/status\/917858247847104517\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">everyone forgot<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-3 text parbase section\">\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t forget,\u201d replied the former<em>\u00a0Total Request Live<\/em>\u00a0host.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wh2MpJVQzl\">https:\/\/t.co\/wh2MpJVQzl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Girls. I&#39;m so impressed with you brave ones. I had to laugh back then so I wouldn&#39;t cry. Sending love.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hilarie Burton Morgan (@HilarieBurton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HilarieBurton\/status\/917927823674953728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 11, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text parbase text-4 section\">\n<p>\u201cGirls,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019m so impressed with you brave ones. I had to laugh back then so I wouldn\u2019t cry. Sending love.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text parbase text-5 section\">\n<p>The video linked in the tweet is for the show\u2019s cold open, but the clip in question can be seen below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"brightcove_iframe section\">\n<div class=\"bc-iframe \"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"bc-591\" src=\"http:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/78144477\/HJ1F9mOa_default\/index.html?videoId=5606069457001\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text text-6 parbase section\">\n<p>The tweet (plus a\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2017\/10\/ben-affleck-hilarie-burton-trl-clip-snl.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vulture<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>story about the exchange) prompted Affleck to tweet again, this time apologizing for his own behavior and admitting he \u201cacted inappropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BenAffleck\/status\/918166049501208576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 11, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not the only example of Affleck being physically inappropriate with a female interviewer. In a 2004 interview with Montreal TV host Anne-Marie Losique, Affleck wraps his arms on Losique while talking incessantly about her breasts, suggesting she \u201cget them titties out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"brightcove_iframe section\">\n<div class=\"bc-iframe \"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"bc-7930\" src=\"http:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/78144477\/HJ1F9mOa_default\/index.html?videoId=5606024242001\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text parbase text-8 section\">\n<p>And while one can\u2019t blame a brother for his brother\u2019s crimes, it\u2019s worth noting that Affleck\u2019s younger brother Casey came under heated scrutiny for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/blogs\/browbeat\/2016\/11\/23\/it_s_oscar_season_casey_affleck_s_ugly_past_is_finally_getting_scrutinized.html\">previous reports of sexual harassment<\/a>\u00a0in the lead up to the 2017 awards season. The younger Affleck had previously settled two sexual harassment lawsuits from women working on his 2010 documentary\u00a0<em>I\u2019m Still Here<\/em>, which many said should discount him from any fairytale comeback narrative. He still won the Academy Award. Close friend of the Afflecks Matt Damon has also been accused of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vulture.com\/2017\/10\/damon-crowe-reportedly-helped-kill-nyt-weinstein-article.html?utm_source=tw&amp;utm_medium=s3&amp;utm_campaign=sharebutton-b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attempting to quash a 2004 Weinstein story<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text parbase text-9 section\">\n<p>Rose McGowan\u2014one of Weinstein\u2019s accusers and a longtime critic of Hollywood\u2019s misogynistic culture\u2014also called Affleck out for his Weinstein repudiation, telling him to \u201cfuck off.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text parbase text-10 section\">\n<p>She also implied Affleck is feigning ignorance, tweeting, \u201c \u2018GODDAMNIT! I TOLD HIM TO STOP DOING THAT\u2019 you said that to my face. The press conf I was made to go to after assault. You lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BenAffleck?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@benaffleck<\/a> \u201cGODDAMNIT! I TOLD HIM TO STOP DOING THAT\u201d you said that to my face. The press conf I was made to go to after assault. You lie.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rose McGowan (@rosemcgowan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rosemcgowan\/status\/917848581540757504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 10, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In another post-Weinstein tweet, she addressed both Afflecks. \u201cBen Affleck Casey Affleck, how\u2019s your morning boys?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/twitter.com\/rosemcgowan\/status\/917484196645396480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&#038;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fblogs%2Fbrowbeat%2F2017%2F10%2F11%2Fben_affleck_apologizes_for_groping_trl_host_hilarie_burton.html<\/p>\n<p>And makeup artist Annamarie Tendler added to the chorus of women suggesting Affleck should be issuing some apologies of his own. \u201cI would also love to get an apology from Ben Affleck who grabbed my ass at a Golden Globes party in 2014. &#8230; Like most women in these situations I didn&#8217;t say anything but I have thought a lot about what I&#8217;d say if I ever saw him again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/twitter.com\/amtendler\/status\/918209962056339456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&#038;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fblogs%2Fbrowbeat%2F2017%2F10%2F11%2Fben_affleck_apologizes_for_groping_trl_host_hilarie_burton.html<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/twitter.com\/amtendler\/status\/918210892591960064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&#038;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fblogs%2Fbrowbeat%2F2017%2F10%2F11%2Fben_affleck_apologizes_for_groping_trl_host_hilarie_burton.html<\/p>\n<p>Rachel Withers is a\u00a0<b><i>Slate<\/i><\/b>\u00a0Brow Beat assistant.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/blogs\/browbeat\/2017\/10\/11\/ben_affleck_apologizes_for_groping_trl_host_hilarie_burton.html\">http:\/\/www.slate.com\/blogs\/browbeat\/2017\/10\/11\/ben_affleck_apologizes_for_groping_trl_host_hilarie_burton.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben Affleck Condemns Harvey Weinstein, and His Own History of Alleged Sexual Harassment Comes Under Fire<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=86662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=86662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=86662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=86662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}