Rose McGowan was one of the first to speak out against the sexual abuses of Harvey Weinstein, but now the actress says that the #MeToo movement that arose as a result is “bulls**t” and a “lie to make lily-livered Hollywood types feel better.”
McGowan came forward to accuse the movie mogul of raping her — one of the leading voices that helped more than a dozen other women come forward to make similar claims about Weinstein. It was the wave of allegations against him that fueled what would become known as the #MeToo movement, which empowered victims of sexual abuse to speak out and to no longer remain on the sidelines.
In a new interview with the Sunday News Times , McGowan said that she does not stand with those pushing the movement and understands the animosity from opponents.
“I just think they’re dou***bags,” she said of #MeToo proponents. “They’re not champions. I just think they’re losers. I don’t like them.”
McGowan noted that she has not received support from those who create the movement, despite being one of the first willing to speak out against someone in power. She does not get invited to lunches and has not been highlighted in women’s magazines, she pointed out.
Others believe that McGowan was blacklisted by Weinstein and that many others in Hollywood went along with it, essentially halting her career in acting.
McGowan added that she believes many supporting the movement are only doing it for show and not out of real concern for victims of sexual abuse and assault. She pointed out that many of the people who claim to be part of the movement now were also supporters of Harvey Weinstein and knew about his behavior. McGowan pointed specifically to Meryl Streep, who was close to Weinstein — and now claims to stand with victims of sexual abuse.
“It’s all bulls**t. It’s a lie,” she said. “It’s a Band-Aid lie to make them feel better. I know these people, I know they’re lily-livered, and as long as it looks good on the surface, to them, that’s enough.”
Rose McGowan has not been alone in this criticism. Many have criticized actor Matt Damon, who has portrayed Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh in Saturday Night Live skits that took on the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. As critics point out, Damon was an odd choice for the role as he worked side-by-side with Weinstein for years — and likely knew about the allegations against him — yet continued working with him.