Weinstein Was Fired After 'Explosive' Board Meeting

Harvey Weinstein's fall from grace has been dizzying—and the movie producer's fate was sealed after what insiders describe as an "explosive" board meeting Sunday afternoon. A source tells the Hollywood Reporter that Weinstein was fired by the Weinstein Company, which he co-founded, after he rejected an offer to settle with the company and leave voluntarily. The source says Weinstein argued that his sexual harassment scandal would blow over, but directors, including brother Robert Weinstein, disagreed. A roundup of coverage:

• Plenty of Hollywood figures praised the firing on social media, including Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who said "good (expletive) riddance," Deadline reports.

• The Guardian looks back at the career and the downfall of Weinstein, noting that unlike other celebrities who have faced similar accusations of sexual misconduct, recently, Weinstein "has long presented himself as a supporter of women within liberal Hollywood."
• The Wall Street Journal reports that Democrats who have received hefty donations from Weinstein, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, are trying to distance themselves from him and making charity donations equivalent to his campaign donations.
• Crisis management experts tell Variety that Weinstein delivered one of the worst responses they had ever seen. They say he made matters worse for himself by offering a narcissistic apology while also threatening to sue the New York Times for exposing his behavior. "This was his one opportunity to speak to victims," says crisis PR expert Richard Levick. "It was one of the worst written apologies I've ever seen in a crisis situation."
• John Oliver slammed Weinstein and his apology on his Sunday night show, Mediaite reports. Weinstein's excuse that he came of age in the '60s and '70s "isn't an excuse," the Last Week Tonight show host said. "In fact, it isn't even an excuse for that behavior in the '60s!"
• Another allegation against Weinstein surfaced over the weekend, the New York Daily News reports. Producer Elisabeth Karlsen says a young exec who had been staying in a house rented by Miramax in the late '80s or early '90s told her that Weinstein had showed up naked in her bedroom. Karlsen says the exec left the company after an out-of-court settlement.
• A third of the Weinstein Company's board has stepped down in recent days and although the company has promised to carry on, it may be difficult to do so amid accusations that directors turned a blind eye to Weinstein's conduct, the AP reports.

(More Harvey Weinstein stories.)