Late-Night Hosts Weigh In on Weinstein Scandal

Harvey Weinstein may have no future in Hollywood—but his sexual misconduct scandal is causing a lot of people to delve into the past. Amid questions over whether the producer's predatory behavior could have been halted a lot sooner, New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet has denied Sharon Waxman's claim that the paper "gutted" her 2004 story on sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein. He says it's "unimaginable" that the paper would have bowed to pressure from an advertiser like Weinstein. Baquet says the Times story last week that led to Weinstein's downfall was researched for months and had on-the-record comments from several women, while Waxman relied on "an off-the-record account from one woman." In other developments:

• Late-night response. Late-night hosts weighed in on the scandal Monday, with Jimmy Kimmel rejecting Donald Trump Jr.'s suggestion that the "biased left-wing" media wouldn't attack Weinstein because he's a Democrat. "Never mind the thousands of jokes about Bill Cosby and Bill Clinton and all the other Bills of their ilk," he said. Seth Meyers brought on three of his female writers to give their thoughts on Weinstein, while Stephen Colbert slammed Weinstein's excuse that he was an "old dinosaur learning new ways." "A, that's no excuse. B, dinosaurs didn't touch themselves in front of employees—T. rex's arms were way too short," he said, per the Hollywood Reporter.

• 'Angry and darkly sad.' Glenn Close said she was "deeply upset" by Weinstein's behavior, Vanity Fair reports. She said she'd long been aware of "vague rumors" that Weinstein behaved inappropriately. "Harvey has always been decent to me, but now that the rumors are being substantiated, I feel angry and darkly sad," she said.
• Furious wife. Sources tell People that Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman, is "furious and embarrassed." She has two children with Weinstein: 7-year-old India Pearl and 4-year-old Dashiell Max Robert.
• Wiped from the credits. Weinstein's name has been dropped from upcoming Weinstein Company series Waco and Yellowstone, where he was to have received an executive producer credit, Variety reports. The company also plans to remove his name from series such as Project Runway.
• A defender. Fashion designer Donna Karan was one of the few people sticking up for Weinstein on Monday. She described Weinstein and his wife as "wonderful people" and claimed women who dressed provocatively were "asking for trouble," reports Page Six. Her comments were denounced by Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan, among many others. McGowan called Karan "scum in a fancy dress."
• A desperate letter. In a last-ditch letter sent to studio heads and other Hollywood execs before he was fired on Sunday, Weinstein begged them to help him keep his job, USA Today reports. "Allow me to resurrect myself with a second chance," he wrote. "I am desperate for your help. Just give me the time to get therapy. Do not let me get fired. If the industry supports me, that is all I need."
• Lena Dunham. In an op-ed at the New York Times, Lena Dunham says Weinstein's behavior is "a microcosm of what has been happening in Hollywood since always" and calls for the men of Hollywood, especially Weinstein's collaborators, to speak out. Women watching the industry "need a signal that we do not approve of the abuse of power and hatred of women that is the driving force behind this kind of behavior," she writes.
• George Clooney. Clooney became the highest-profile male star to speak out against Weinstein on Monday when he told the Daily Beast that the producer's behavior was "disturbing" and "indefensible." He said he knew Weinstein liked to hit on young women, but he "had no idea that it had gone to the level of having to pay off eight women for their silence, and that these women were threatened and victimized."

(More Harvey Weinstein stories.)