Ellen Pompeo: Grey’s Anatomy star criticised for ‘victim shaming’ Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault accusers in resurfaced video

‘I truly do wonder what’s going on inside of her brain,' one outraged tweeter wrote

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 23 April 2020 08:42 BST
Comments
Ellen Pompeo sparks controversy with Harvey Weinstein comments

Ellen Pompeo is being criticised after remarks she made about Harvey Weinstein and the women he sexually assaulted resurfaced online.

A video, in which the Grey’s Anatomy actor speaks at an Oxford Union Q&A in 2018, sees Pompeo tell an interviewer that she believes women “bear some responsibility” as ”it takes two to tango”.

“That’s not to blame the victim,” she said, adding: “That’s just to say... I did go into a room with Harvey Weinstein, I sat at a table with him, I had a probably two and a half hours with him. He never said anything inappropriate to me. He never made any sort of physical advance to me.”

Pompeo continued: ”I wasn’t in the room alone with him. I had been sent there by an agent in the middle of the daytime. I didn’t think there was anything wrong. I wouldn’t have gone into that room at night. But he did nothing inappropriate towards me. Now had he, I would have picked up that glass and smashed him across the side of the face with it.

“So I mean, it’s all what we’re willing to tolerate in our self-esteem, and what are we going to put up with, and what are we going to compromise to be liked, to be loved, to be accepted? How bad do we want to be in show business?”

One Twitter user branded her comments “disgusting”, with another writing: “Ellen Pompeo is victim blaming through this entire video & is acting like it’s the victim’s fault & as if the victim wanted it.”

Another wrote: “I truly do wonder what’s going on inside of Ellen Pompeo’s brain. Who told her saying s**t like this was OK?

“That’s so disgusting. As a sexual assault survivor, I am absolutely appalled,” one concluded.

The Independent has contacted a representative of Pompeo for comment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in