The past few weeks have brought a number of surprising allegations against some of the most influential men in Hollywood, most notably, formerly esteemed mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Just kidding, there were actually surpsised that Weinstein is a gross predator who’s been using his power to get away with all manner of despicable things pretty
In fact, here at THG, we’ve been reporting on harassment allegations against Weinstein for years.
We say that not to pat ourselves on the back, because that would be incredibly gross, but merely to point out that anyone who’s paid attention to Weinstein’s career knows that allegations of sexual misconduct have clung to him like a bad smell.
And if they claim otherwise, they’re full of it. (We’re looking at you, Matt Damon.)
Hollywood insiders like to throw around the term “open secret” because it’s easier than acknowleding the ugly truth of the situation:
There are certain people in Hollywood who can get away with literally anything, including harassment and rape, and everyone who’s lower than them on the totem pole will ignore it, because they hope to one day be that powerful themselves, and they know that guys like Weinstein hold the keys to the castle.
Of course, this sort of behavior isn’t limited to the movie business.
There are predators in every line of work, and many will happily abuse the smallest modicum of power.
Take, for example, famed photographer Terry Richardson.
Just when you didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be a more obvious perv than Weinstein, along comes the revoltingly-nicknamed “Uncle Terry.”
You may not be surprised by the fact that a man who’s bragged about his talent for convincing reluctant celebrities to take their clothes off has some issues with boundaries, but apparently many of his colleagues were.
Richardson is a household name in the worlds of fashion and photography, and you may know him as the director of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” video and the name is mentioned alongside avery self-consciously “artsy” black-and-white nude photo of a famous person.
Unfortunately for Richardson, it seems that in the wake of the Weinstein allegations, he’s been called out by numerous women who claim he’s guilty of various acts of harassment and abuse.
According to the New York Post, publishing powerhouse Condé Nast has already cut ties with Richardson and ordered that all work of his that’s been commissioned but not yet used should be “killed or substituted with other material.”
Other major media outlets that have used Richardson’s work in the past are expected to follow suit.
Details about the allegations against Richardson are scarce at this time, but it’s telling that none of his current or former colleagues are rushing to the photographer’s defense.
In fact, the biggest question being asked today is–why did take so long for Richardson to be called out?