Asia Argento accused of sexual assault: Rose McGowan heartbroken
According to a new report, actress Asia Argento, one of the first prominent women to accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, agreed to pay off her own sexual assault accuser. Fellow #MeToo activist and Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan says her 'heart is broken.'
Rose McGowan hit back at critics Tuesday night after she received backlash for telling people to “be gentle” with Asia Argento amid allegations that the prominent #MeToo advocate sexually assaulted actor Jimmy Bennett when he was 17 and paid him to keep quiet.
“Oh for f---’s sake I’m not defending,” McGowan tweeted Tuesday night, referencing her since-deleted post about Argento.
On Monday, McGowan said her “heart is broken” after a bombshell report by the New York Times revealed Argento paid $380,000 to Bennett after the former child star accused her of sexually assaulting him.
“I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere,” said McGowan, who played a pivotal role in the downfall of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“None of us know the truth of the situation and I’m sure more will be revealed. Be gentle,” she wrote in a second tweet that was deleted.
Her request for people to “be gentle” on Argento, who also accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, drew a slew of criticism. Several people accused the former “Charmed” star of being a hypocrite and having “double standards” when it came to male survivors of sexual assault.
”The answer to male privilege is not female privilege. The answer is basic fairness for all,” tweeted Christina Hoff Sommers, an American Enterprise Institute scholar and critic of the modern feminist movement. “#Metoo movement will fail if its leaders engage in hypocrisy, cronyism & double standards. Rose McGowan’s advice should apply to all who are accused, not just to her friend #AsiaArgento. Old-girl network (Judith Butler, Gayatri Spivak) defending #AvitalRonell discredits #Metoo.”
Actor Harry Cook said McGowan’s comments were a “slap in the face to everything the #MeToo movement represents.”
The alleged sexual encounter between Argento and Bennett occurred in a California hotel room in 2013, when the actress was 37, the report stated, citing documents. The New York Times also obtained a photograph dated May 9, 2013, that showed the two lying in a bed together.
ASIA ARGENTO DENIES SEX ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS, SAYS ANTHONY BOURDAIN PAID ACCUSER
Argento broke her silence Tuesday and denied the sexual assault allegations. In a statement given to reporter Yashar Ali, Argento said her late boyfriend Anthony Bourdain, celebrity chef who hanged himself in June, was the one who paid Bennett.
“I strongly deny and oppose the contents of the New York Times article dated 20 August 2018, as circulated also in national and international news. I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett,” Argento said. “Antony [sic] insisted the matter be handled privately and this was also what Bennett wanted. Anthony was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought up on us.”
She continued, “We decided to deal compassionately with Bennett’s demand for help and give it to him. Anthony personally undertook to help Bennett economically, upon the condition that we would no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life.”
Despite denying the sexual relationship, screenshots of texts obtained by TMZ on Wednesday showed Argento appearing to admit to a friend that she did have sex with Bennett.
Fox News’ Lukas Mikelionis and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
Trending
Who's making headlines in television, music, movies and more from Hollywood to the Heartland.