Harvey Weinstein misquotes Jay Z in statement on sexual harassment allegations

Film mogul issued a statement this week in response to a report in the New York Times about his conduct towards women employees

Harvey Weinstein, Jay Z, Michael Che, Jeffrey Toobin, and Gayle King speak onstage during TIME AND PUNISHMENT: A Town Hall Discussion, March 2017, New York (Getty)

Film producer Harvey Weinstein apparently misquoted a lyric by his business partner Jay Z in a statement over sexual harassment claims made against him.

The co-founder of Miramax and the Weinstein Company wrote in a statement addressing the allegations that he “cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt".

He also referenced a supposed quote from “4:44,” Jay Z’s response to alleged infidelities against his wife, Beyonce.

Weinstein wrote: “Jay Z wrote in ‘4:44,’ ‘I’m not the man I thought I was and I better be that man for my children.’ The same is true for me."

Yet there is no such lyric in the song “4:44” - or anywhere on the album of the same title.

Spin suggests that Weinstein may have been paraphrasing Jay Z's confessional track, which speaks of shame over his past behaviour.

Jay Z raps:

"And if my children knew

I don’t even know what I would do

If they ain’t look at me the same

I would prob’ly die with all the shame"

But a Jay Z quote would be unusual even if it had not been misquoted, given the claims against Weinstein involve sexual harassment accusations that stretch back over almost three decades.

As well as the unusual Jay Z reference, Weinstein's statement has been criticised for apparently failing to properly address the allegations.

He has received rebukes from actresses including Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd, and from the New York Times, which originally printed the report on the allegations.

“I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it,” his statement said.

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But he later disputed the New York Times report which claimed he harassed women employed by him over nearly three decades. His attorney Lisa Bloom said that many of the allegations are "patently false".

The newspaper reported he had reached at least eight settlements with women.

Weinstein, a married father-of-five, said he planned to take a leave of absence from his company and had hired therapists to deal with his issue.

“My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons,” the 65-year-old's statement read.

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