On April 12, a story emerged in The Hollywood Reporter about journalist Charlie Rose. Over 27 women told The Washington Post that Rose sexually harassed them by exposing himself and groping them. One woman wrote that he made her unclog a brimming toilet filled with feces.
From THR:
Associates and friends describe Rose’s frame of mind with characterizations that range from scorn to concern. “I don’t think he thinks he’s done anything wrong,” says the media executive friend. “He’s in complete denial; he thinks he will be back on television.” Yet among those who spoke with THR, many believe otherwise. (Rose did not respond to requests for an interview.) “My sense is that Charlie has put [book writing and planning his return to TV] aside for now,” says another friend who asked to remain anonymous. “I think he is focusing on trying to understand, [both] events and other people’s perception of them.”
But other men haven’t taken the same approach. Several high-profile guys accused of abusive behavior, sexual harassment and assault have started to edge back into public life.
Louis C.K., accused of making female comedians watch him masturbate, recently did a couple of surprise sets at The Comedy Cellar, a famous club in Manhattan.
Disgraced former NBC anchor Matt Lauer told a group of women at a restaurant, “don’t worry, I’ll be back on TV.”.
Jian Ghomeshi and John Hockenberry both published pieces in recent weeks about being accused of misconduct, in The New York Review of Books and in Harper’s. Ghomeshi’s, in particular, is filled with obfuscations and outright falsehoods about the violence of which he was accused.
I’m reading the John Hockenberry piece for Harpers & it’s so gross/fascinating to see how some men have such nearsightedness. Can’t see that they were abusive not just for a recent few years. But for decades.His victimology is disgusting. APOLOGIZE & own your white male privilege
— Maria Hinojosa (@Maria_Hinojosa) September 16, 2018
Should these men come back into public life? Do we still need them as cultural figures? What would a meaningful apology look like? Should we treat all cases of #MeToo the same way (Aziz Ansari and New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush’scome to mind.)?
And is any of this surprising when President Trump, perhaps the most high-profile man in the world, has been accused of various kinds of sexual misconduct by at least 19 women?
Produced by Jonquilyn Hill. Text by Gabrielle Healy.
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Katie Herzog, Staff writer, The Stranger; @kittypurrzog
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