The entertainment industry is still reeling from the media storm which ensued after The New York Times published their damning exposé chronicling decades of sexual abuse claims lodged against the once-renowned film producer,
Harvey Weinstein. As of now, over 40 women have disclosed details of how they fell prey to Weinstein's unsolicited advances, and that figure includes numerous household names such as
Angelina Jolie,
Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan, Cara Delevingne and Ashley Judd.
In the ensuing months, this maelstrom has caused a veritable domino effect, with more and more women coming forward to share their own experiences of
sexual harassment and assault. As of 2018,
influential men such as
Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, Louis CK and photographer, Terry Richardson, have been accused of sexual misconduct, and their careers have rightly taken a major hit for it.
Since November we have heard very little from Harvey Weinstein himself. The 65-year-old has kept himself hidden away since the scandal broke, and has apparently been in rehab ever since. Today, however, it emerged that he was reportedly attacked whilst dining at a restaurant in Scottsdale.
According to TMZ, the now-disgraced film mogul was eating out at the Elements restaurant at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Scottsdale, with his sobriety coach when the incident took place.
One of the men who took part in the assault, identified as Steve, told the celebrity news website that he approached Weinstein to tell him that he enjoyed his movies and work in Hollywood. He then purportedly asked him for a picture. According to Steve, Weinstein quickly became "belligerent" and told him to "buzz off". Some people never learn, do they?
However, according to a statement from the restaurant manager, who opted to remain anonymous, Weinstein was actually "very sweet" about rejecting the man's request for a picture. The film producer purportedly told the individual that he'd "rather not take a picture right now". He then asserted that the two respective parties shook hands amicably and that Steve returned to his own table.
It was apparently around 9pm when Weinstein and his sobriety coach decided to leave, and they were once again approached by Steve and his unidentified friend, who were also in the process of leaving the Elements restaurant. Steve then called Weinstein "a piece of s*** for what you did to these women", and punched him twice in the face, causing him to stumble and almost fall backwards. He confessed to TMZ that he had had a little too much to drink by this point.
The manager of the restaurant, on the other hand, claimed that none of the punches thrown hit Weinstein's face, and corroborated that Steve was inebriated, saying that he "drunk and out of control".
An onlooker asked Weinstein if he wanted to contact the police, but the 65-year-old reportedly declined and left the restaurant premises shortly after.
