Thursday, 16 January 2025
Thursday, 16 January 2025
Mounting sexual assault allegations against high-profile figures have reopened the floodgates to the #MeToo movement of Hollywood, with at least two renowned celebrities — writer Neil Gaiman and actor-director Justin Baldoni — being accused of misconduct in the past one month.
While It Ends with Us actress Blake Lively accused the film’s director and her co-actor Baldoni of sexual harassment in the first week of January, The Sandman author Gaiman faced charges of sexual assault by at least eight women in a recent exposé by New York Magazine.
Baldoni and Gaiman join a growing list of Hollywood celebrities who faced sexual offence charges. Here’s a look at some of the most infamous sexual misconduct cases that rocked the biggest film industry in the world.
Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle (1921)
The first widely publicised Hollywood sexual assault case emerged on September 5, 1921, when comedian Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle was accused of assaulting actress Virginia Rappe. Arbuckle had hosted a party where it was alleged he took advantage of Rappe’s inebriation to assault her. The reported attack was so severe that Rappe died four days later.
The media frenzy around the case was fueled by journalist and newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who published sensationalised accounts, including allegations that Arbuckle had used a bottle during the assault. Arbuckle faced three highly publicised trials for Rappe’s alleged rape. The first two trials ended in hung juries, but he was ultimately acquitted during the third trial. The jury even issued a formal written apology, acknowledging Arbuckle’s innocence.
Roman Polanski (1977)
In 1977, director Roman Polanski faced accusations of sexual assault involving Samantha Geimer, a 13-year-old girl at the time. Geimer alleged that Polanski had invited her to actor Jack Nicholson’s Los Angeles home on the pretext of conducting a photo shoot for Vogue magazine. Polanski reportedly gave her quaaludes and photographed her topless before taking her to a bedroom, where he allegedly raped her.
Polanski was charged with several crimes, including sexual abuse of a minor, drug use, and sodomy. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. The court initially sentenced him to a 90-day term in state prison for psychiatric evaluation but allowed him to postpone serving this time to complete a film project. Polanski served only 42 days before being released. He later settled in France, where his citizenship protected him from extradition to the United States.
Woody Allen (1992)
Woody Allen, known for his films like Midnight in Paris, Annie Hall, Manhattan and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, has faced long-standing allegations of sexual abuse for molesting his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow when she was only seven years old.
Allen has denied the accusations, which first came to light in 1992, emphasising that the allegations were fabricated by his ex-partner Mia Farrow after he began a relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, one of Mia's adopted daughters from a previous relationship.
Kevin Spacey (2017)
In 2017, American actor-singer Anthony Rapp accused Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct. He alleged that 27-year-old Spacey made a sexual advance towards a 15-year-old Rapp at a party in 1986.
In September 2020, Rapp sued Spacey for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress under the Child Victims Act.
Following the lawsuit filed by Rapp, several other men came out with their own stories and charged Spacey with sexual assault and filed for lawsuits up till 2022. However, in 2023, a U.K. jury found Spacey not guilty on all charges related to the sexual assault laid over him.
Harvey Weinstein (2017)
Harvey Weinstein, a former Hollywood producer, faced numerous allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and rape from dozens of women, spanning decades. Accusers claimed he used his power to exploit, intimidate, and silence victims, often coercing them under promises of career advancement or threats. These revelations sparked the #MeToo movement, exposing systemic abuse and power imbalances in Hollywood and beyond, leading to a broader cultural reckoning.
In 2020, Weinstein was convicted in New York of rape and sexual assault, and sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment. In 2022, he was convicted in Los Angeles on additional charges and sentenced to 16 more years. He also faced civil lawsuits, with a USD 17 million settlement for victims in 2021.
Kirk Douglas (2021)
A recent book brought to light allegations of sexual assault against actor Kirk Douglas. In her memoir Little Sister, published in 2021, the late Hollywood actress Natalie Wood’s sister, Lana, claimed that Douglas assaulted Natalie when she was a teenager. The alleged incident occurred while Natalie was filming The Searchers. At the time, Douglas was in his 30s and one of Hollywood's leading actors, known for his roles in films like Spartacus and The Bad and the Beautiful.
Lana, who was eight years old at the time, recounts that both Natalie and their mother decided that publicly accusing Douglas would jeopardise Natalie’s career. Douglas passed away in February 2020 at the age of 103. Natalie Wood later died under mysterious circumstances in November 1981, drowning during a weekend boat trip to Santa Catalina Island in California.
Francis Ford Coppola (2024)
Francis Ford Coppola was accused of kissing a 13-year-old girl on the set of his latest sci-fi drama Megalopolis. This allegation adds to a series of sexual harassment claims made against the renowned filmmaker.
Variety first reported the accusations in July 2024, referencing complaints from at least two actors. The claims are reportedly supported by two videos filmed on the Atlanta set last year, which allegedly showed Coppola walking through a crowd and kissing young actresses on the cheek.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Coppola denied the allegations, stating that the accusations were an attempt to harm the production. He has since filed a libel lawsuit against Variety.
