Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, serving time for sexualized crimes, gave his first detailed interview from prison, in which he accused Angelina Jolie of destroying his career.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 73-year-old disgraced film mogul once again rejected allegations of rape and called the actresses listed as victims in his case the culprits of his downfall.
"Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie simply destroyed me," the producer stated in the new interview.
It was Jolie and Paltrow who were among the first to share their revelations that triggered the investigation by The New York Times in 2017. Paltrow recounted how, at the age of 22, she rejected the producer when he tried to lure her into his hotel room. Jolie also stated at that time that she had a "bad experience" in a hotel when Weinstein invited her to his room. The producer himself acknowledged that there was a "power imbalance" between him and the women who made accusations. He characterized his behavior as "excessive flirting" and "foolish acts," but categorically refused to acknowledge coercion.
"I cheated on both of my wives. That is immoral. But I did not rape anyone," he said. "I know I can be intimidating and difficult. But it doesn’t reach sexualized violence... I crossed the line, I excessively used my power. I was pushy and persistent and I feel terrible about that. I am ashamed of such behavior," the film mogul added.
According to Weinstein, many of the accusations against him are driven by a desire for profit. He claims that some women were paid large sums, for example, one of the alleged victims received $3 million. "All you had to do to walk away with a check was fill out a form stating that I committed sexualized violence," the producer explained, noting that only a few of the stories made it to court.
A separate part of the interview focused on complaints about the conditions of his imprisonment, which Weinstein described as "hell on earth." According to the producer, he spends up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, is almost deprived of communication, and moves in a wheelchair due to a whole list of chronic illnesses, including diabetes and cancer. He also fears physical harm from other inmates and believes that authorities are deliberately keeping him in Rikers prison to control him before new trials.
Let’s recall the timeline of the collapse of Weinstein's empire. In October 2017, The New York Times published an investigation into the producer's years of harassment following high-profile statements from Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. This case became the starting point: it sparked the #MeToo movement, and thousands of women around the world followed the Hollywood stars in sharing their stories of harassment, leading to a reevaluation of attitudes towards such crimes in the industry. Just a few days later, the board of directors fired Weinstein from his own company, and his wife Georgina Chapman filed for divorce.
In February 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and coercion into intimacy. However, in April 2024, this sentence was overturned due to procedural violations: the court allowed testimonies from women whose accusations were not included in the official charges. But Weinstein did not gain freedom — back in February 2023, he was additionally sentenced to 16 years in a separate case in Los Angeles for the rape of an actress. A retrial in 2025 found him guilty of abusing former assistant Miriam Haley.
Another hearing in Weinstein's case is scheduled for April 14, 2026.
