What’s it like to investigate one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, if not the world? Pretty damn scary. Ronan Farrow, one of the reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein scandal, said Thursday that he had his share of worries after the movie mogul hired a private Israeli firm to follow him.
“I don’t make light of the fact that it was frightening to be in the crosshairs of that,” he told a Chicago audience and host Gretchen Carlson Thursday when discussing his upcoming book Catch and Kill, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. “I mean, there were times when I feared for my safety and, you know, my sources were telling me to get a gun and I moved out of my apartment.”
He was joined on the appearance by his former NBC producer Rich McHugh. McHugh claimed NBC squashed their work investigating Weinstein at the movie mogul’s behest. Farrow’s partner Jon Lovett has said publicly that “NBC killed the Weinstein story. It was a historic mistake.”
“Over and over and over again, NBC told Ronan to stop reporting. I heard it myself! Phones have speakers!” Lovett said.
“There were at least 15 secret calls between NBC executives and Harvey Weinstein, in which promises were made to kill this story before any journalistic judgment had been made,” Farrow said. “NBC has now conceded that these calls happened.”
Dozens of women–including actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd–said Weinstein committed sexual misconduct and including rape. He used his wealth and power to intimidate and silence victims, according to accounts. Through spokespeople, he has pushed back on allegations that he broke the law. Weinstein has denied engaging in “any non-consensual sex.” New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the story. Farrow’s work, released shortly after in The New Yorker, fueled the public momentum against Weinstein.
NBC network officials deny wrongdoing. Carlson, a former Fox News host who claimed late CEO Roger Ailes sexually harassed her, joined a call for an open investigation into NBC’s role in the alleged cover-up.
[Screengrab via CNN]
