Entertainment
10 Facts About Harvey Weinstein’s Divorce
Harvey Weinstein is going to pay hard and high for his behavior for years with the actresses who participated in his films. He will do so when the American justice system pronounces itself in the case of sexual abuse that has shocked Hollywood. Nonetheless, he has already started paying, literally. The film producer has reached a divorce agreement with his ex-wife, fashion designer Georgina Chapman. Get ready to be shocked, because the agreement has eight figures, according to “Page Six”. It’s no wonder if we take into account that the patrimony of the couple was calculated between 15 and 20 million dollars.
In addition to the money, Chapman will keep the house in the West Village and the beach house in the Hamptons, as well as the custody of the couple’s 7 and 4-year-old children. Before stating “yes, I want a divorce”, the couple signed a detailed prenuptial agreement in which the producer promised to pay his wife $ 300,000 for each year of marriage. Chapman filed for divorce before her tenth anniversary, in the middle of the Weinstein case. Here are 10 facts about it:
10. Did she know?
That is the million dollar question, but it probably will not be answered soon enough. Georgina Chapman, 41 years old, married to Harvey Weinstein since 2007 and mother of her two children (India Pearl, 7, and Dashiell Max Robert, 4), left as soon as the trickle of complaints against her husband began for harassment and sexual abuse. Given the seriousness of the situation, before the American Film Academy expelled her husband and long before the prosecution itself encouraged women to report him, Chapman announced her divorce and disappeared. All that’s known about Chapman is through the close sources consulted by different publications. One of them admits that the relationship between Weinstein and Chapman began with the understanding that one would help the other, and vice versa.
In fact, in 2014, just when they met and started dating, Weinstein helped her found Marchesa, Chapman’s fashion firm, and later forced several of her actresses to dress her designs on the red carpet. For example, Felicity Huffman. However, the complicity between the marriage seems to only reach there. Chapman was aware of the bad ways of her husband; to the point of apologizing on many occasions because of his rudeness. They also reveal that right now she is focused on protecting her children and trying to save Marchesa at all costs. It will not be easy. Everything that surrounds Harvey Weinstein is burned and beyond repair.
9. Harvey was confronted by a man in a restaurant
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, accused by more than 50 women of sexual harassment, was attacked by a stranger at an Arizona restaurant, according to a video posted by TMZ showing him being slapped and insulted. Weinstein had stayed away from the media while receiving “therapeutic treatment” in a rehabilitation clinic (the same one where Kevin Spacey was also hospitalized) and the night of January 9 was dining with a friend at the restaurant Elements, at the Camelback Mountain Resort, in the city of Scottsdale, when two men sat at a table next to them.
According to the English newspaper Daily Mail, one of the men, identified as ‘Steve’, approached Weinstein and told him that he loved his films and that he would like to take a picture with him. The producer got angry and demanded that he turn away from him, with high-sounding voices. This contrasts with the version of the restaurant manager, who told People magazine, that Weinstein acted in a “very sweet way” and showed great respect by saying, “I prefer not to take a picture at this time.” In the end, ‘Steve’ returned to his table. After dinner, Weinstein and his companion got up to leave the place. It was at the same time that ‘Steve’, who acknowledged in his statement that he had drank too much, told his friend to videotape what was about to happen. The man approached Weinstein, insulted him then hit him in the face twice. Weinstein stumbled backward and almost lost his balance. The restaurant manager witnessed and affirmed that the subject identified as ‘Steve’ was drunk and acted out of control. The person who filmed the incident asked Weinstein if he wanted to call the police, but Weinstein, visibly humiliated, turned him down and left the restaurant.
8. The Weinstein Company is bankrupt
The Weinstein Company declared bankruptcy and broke “with immediate effect” the legal agreements that prevented the victims from speaking of sexual harassment from one of its founders, Harvey Weinstein. The witnesses of the cases of harassment are also released from this agreement, according to a statement from the company. The bankruptcy process initiated by the company includes that decision, which was driven by New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. The New York prosecutors filed a lawsuit on February 11 for civil rights violations against Weinstein, his brother Bob and the company they both led because of an investigation into sexual misconduct.
The complaint included new allegations against Weinstein, the head of the production study, regarding the “ruthless and exploitative mistreatment” he exercised over his employees, as well as their testimonies as victims of sexual harassment, intimidation, and other conduct. In the statement, the Weinstein Company thanked the courage of “the brave people who took a step forward.” The company regrets not being able to undo the damage caused by Harvey Weinstein but expects these events to mark a new beginning. Schneiderman said the company’s decision to allow victims and witnesses to talk about what happened is “a turning point in efforts to address the corrosive effects of sexual misconduct in the workplace.” The bankruptcy lawsuit was filed before the US Bankruptcy Court of Delaware. The private equity firm Lantern Capital Partners will acquire the Weinstein Company during the bankruptcy process for 500 million dollars, according to press reports.
7. Scarlett Johansson showed support to Marchesa
After the 2017 Met Gala, Rita Ora and Chrissy Teigen dressed in Marchesa. The question was who would dare to wear in this year’s edition one of the designs of the brand led by Georgina Chapman, ex-wife of the reviled producer Harvey Weinstein. An Avenger took the risk: Scarlett Johansson. Johansson stated that she dressed Marchesa because its dresses make women feel beautiful and confident and it was a pleasure to support a brand with two incredibly talented and important fashion designers. Her words follow the line of what could be expected from one of the most important voices of the #MeToo movement and the Time’s Up initiative born in Hollywood. Especially considering that, in the last year, Marchesa has gone from being one of the most prominent brands of red carpets in the world of entertainment to one of the most ignored.
That Johansson has opted to wear one of the designs of Chapman and Keren Craig is, therefore, a way of rescuing them from the shadows of shame in which Weinstein had put them. Johansson worked with the producer on Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen’s film of 2008, which also included Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, but that has not stopped her from becoming one of the most vocal actresses of the industry in the fight against harassment and inequality. She was one of the women who took the opportunity to speak during one of the numerous feminist demonstrations of the Women’s March last January.
6. Divorce and Scandal jeopardize Marchesa
After exploding the sexual scandal that has separated Weinstein from his own company, there are many voices that now call for social networks to boycott Marchesa, which is more than likely to suffer a serious blow after reports that say Weinstein took advantage of his power in Hollywood to sexually harass employees and actresses. These are some of the accusations that came up the same day that Chapman presented in New York her new bridal collection, and published some of her proposals in her Instagram account.
“No star will want to wear the brand again,” said a stylist from New York cited, on condition of anonymity, by The Hollywood Reporter. The British designer co-founded Marchesa in 2004, the year she met the producer, along with model Keren Craig (with whom she studied at a prestigious British school). Today, the brand is also a family business, as her brother Edward Chapman serves as CEO. Although Georgina Chapman, who has also made her first steps as an actress, did not have a great experience as a designer in the early years, her brand quickly became part of the pools of the stars. Three years later, Jennifer Lopez and Sienna Miller were wearing her dresses in the 2007 Golden Globes. A Los Angeles stylist said Weinstein was the brain behind Marchesa, managing deals and using his influence and connections with celebrities on Chapman’s behalf for the brand.
5. Weinstein was part of a sect
Established in the same year as the Charles Manson killings (whose sect was called “The Family”), the sect “Children of God”, “The Family International” or also known as “The Family”, some of the many names that have been tried to remain hidden, grew among their violated children Joaquin and River Phoenix and the actress, Rose McGowan. Girls were forced to have sex with men of the sect and when they were older, seduce other men to be included in it (as in the sect of Charles Manson). Apparently, Harvey Weinstein himself was part of it.
Very interesting RT article. More references about it can be found in Wikipedia itself. For those who are curious enough, read the biography of Karen Zerby about what happened to her husband. David Berg, as chief of the sect, went to Tenerife along with a group from the cult, as one of those new age sects of the 70s. It seems that more and more data about hippie cults of this type will begin to appear, in Spain and other places of the world.
4. More than 15 women were abused
The American actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been one of the last to dare to denounce the producer. When she was only 22 years old, and just after being chosen to star in Jane Austen’s adaptation of Emma’s novel, the young woman was invited to a hotel room with Weinstein. Once in the room, the producer suggested that he give her a massage, an offer that Paltrow rejected. Angelina Jolie, actress, humanitarian ambassador, and director, did not go into detail when talking about her experience with the producer. However, she said that in the 90s, Weinstein had approached her in an undesired way. According to Cara Delevingne, Weinstein called her to propose a trio with another woman in a hotel in New York.
Another of the victims who have accused the director is the Italian actress Asia Argento, who has denounced that Weinstein raped her when she was only 21 years old. In another case, Weinstein invited the Filipino-Italian model Ambra Battilana Gutiérrez to her office in New York, where she launched herself at her, touched her breasts and tried to reach into her skirt. She protested and went directly to the police to file a complaint. This list still remains too short and doesn’t do justice to the many other women who were abused by Harvey Weinstein.
3. #BoycottMarchesa
Among the many actresses that denounced abuses from Harvey, Felicity Huffman, better known for her role as Lynette in the North American series Desperate Housewives, was threatened by Weinstein to end her career if she didn’t wear Marchesa in her appearances on the Red Carpet, according to the Daily Mail. In another case, actress Sienna Miller was threatened various times by Weinstein’s staff telling her that “Mr. Weinstein will be very mad if she didn’t wear Marchesa and sit next to him and his wife at a dinner during the 2007 Golden Globe Awards”.
This makes the world believe that many of the actresses who have worn Marchesa in their public appearances maybe didn’t voluntarily choose to wear those dresses and that it’s a possibility that they were obligated to do so. This is the case of Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock and Reneé Zellweger, who casually wore designs from Marchesa in events that had some relation with The Weinstein Company. For this reason, a hashtag named #BoycottMarchesa was created on Twitter against the fashion firm as a way to put pressure on the company.
2. Family was going downhill: suicidal behavior
Being a celebrity does not imply a greater risk of taking your own life, but the dissemination of cases in the media contributes to that false impression. More than fame, what seems to increase the risk of suicide in celebrities is everything that surrounds them. Notoriety per se is not a risk or vulnerability factor for suicidal behavior. On the other hand, the way of life that accompanies the celebrity could have associated certain risk factors. Harvey Weinstein didn’t follow through but maybe it’s not so surprising for him to act this way after all.
Los Angeles police had to go to the residence of a daughter of producer Harvey Weinstein, after receiving an emergency call that reported a “family incident” at the scene. Police said they answered the call around 10:30 am on a Wednesday and sent officers to the residence of one of Weinstein’s daughters, who left after no facts were found that constituted any crime. TMZ had reported that Remy Weinstein called 911 saying that their father had “suicidal” behavior and that he was “depressed.” A video obtained by TMZ shows that Weinstein left the property, along with one of his advisers. Remy is one of the three daughters of her first marriage to Eve Chilton.
1. Harvey’s first wife wants her share of the pot
The producer in disgrace is facing a new legal battle. His first wife, Eve Chilton, made a court claim to pay her five million dollars (about 4.2 million euros) that he remains to owe of the pension of his three children in case the legal problems in which he is stuck on cause him bankruptcy. She says he is more concerned about saving his own skin than about caring for his children. As an example of the new financial obligations that Weinstein faces, the lawyer of his first wife exposed in the Manhattan courts the seven denunciations he has for now of women who say they were harassed and sexually abused by him, something that the producer continues to deny.
The five million that Chilton now claims would be distributed as follows: 1.4 million in basic expenses, 500,000 dollars for each one for medical care, 500,000 for the university, and other expenses. According to the agreement of her divorce, Weinstein had to pay her 60 million dollars (among other things, 50,000 dollars per year for her vacations), of which Chilton alleges that there are still five to be paid. Sources consulted by People magazine assure that he has never failed to fulfill his financial obligations with the three children he had with Eve Chilton, who worked as his assistant, to who he has already paid millions over the years.