Courtney Love, the famed musician, actress, and rowdy provocateur widely recognized simply for not giving a fuck, warned the public about Harvey Weinstein’s taste for attacking women in hotel rooms back in 2005, when the sexual assault allegations currently standing against him were merely a Hollywood “open secret,” shrouded in an ominous cloud of mystery.
In footage obtained by TMZ, Love can be seen walking down the red carpet of Comedy Central’s Pamela Anderson roast before a young, female reporter asks her an innocuous question: “Do you have advice for any young girls planning on making the move to Hollywood?” Courtney briefly hesitates, then adds: “Um, I’ll get libeled if I say it.” After glancing left and right to ensure a frantic publicist isn’t hovering nearby, Love continues: “If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party at the Four Seasons, don’t go.”
Love, meanwhile, responded to the TMZ post with a tweet alleging that she was “banned” by the Hollywood power agency CAA for speaking out against Weinstein.
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In 2005, Love’s warning to young girls carried little to no weight. Aside from the gossipy online message boards and a handful of blind items in hidden corners of the web, Weinstein’s abuse was swept under the rug by the movie mogul and a complicit media. But given the statements of the brave women who’ve shared their stories, Love’s statement confirms what those outside of Hollywood’s grapevine have been speculating: men and women in the industry knew about Weinstein’s stomach-turning behavior, yet stood idly by and did little to nothing to end it.
Seven years later, in 2012, Love was seen mingling with Weinstein and Jessica Chastain outside of the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, while he was still allegedly grotesquely abusing—and paying off—wannabe actresses and assistants who yielded absolutely no power to his large, overwhelming stature.
While Love only raised concerns about Weinstein in her 2005 red carpet warning, the “casting couch” culture as we know it still lives on in 2017. However, the floodgates have flung open, and the days of both women and men being scared into silence are numbered. Thanks to those who have been courageous enough to speak out, Hollywood’s discourse is rapidly changing.
Now, we’re left with one question: which predator will be taken down next?
