Everyone knew.
We hear this over and over and over again. Every single time a male actor, athlete, musician, artist, politician, chef (and the list goes on) are alleged to be perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence and abuse, the refrain is “oh, everyone knew”.
‘Everyone knew’ about the multiple allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape surrounding Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein; allegations that go back decades. Yet, no one (read men) in positions of power followed even the most basic protection regulations and laws around sexual harassment.
Everyone also ‘knew’ about Jimmy Savile’s predatory behaviour to children and women. Despite multiple allegations made to numerous people supposedly responsible for child protection and multiple reports to police, the media still didn’t want to publish the clear evidence of Savile’s sexually predatory behaviour even after he died. Everyone knew; no one talked.
In the weeks since The New Yorker published Ronan Farrow’s well-evidenced article into Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexualised violence, there has been a plethora of new allegations about Weinstein, but also what is beginning to feel like the majority of men in Hollywood.
This includes, but is no way limited to:
- Louis C.K. – comedian
- Dustin Hoffman – actor
- Andrew Kreisberg: Executive producer of “Arrow”, “Supergirl”, “The Flash”
- Jeremy Piven -actor
- Brett Ratner – filmmaker
- Kevin Spacey – actor
- James Toback- producer
Over the years, feminist activists and journalists have campaigned for boycotts of celebrity men with a history of violence against women and girls. The sheer number of allegations and the multiple perpetrators named in the past month make it difficult to keep track. This is why Everyone Knew was born. It will be a database of convicted perpetrators, as well as naming men who are alleged to be perpetrators. You can find the full list here. We have also divided the perpetrators according to their employment and celebrity status (links are in the top menu).
Further Reading:
Ronan Farrow, From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories, (The New Yorker, Oct. 2017)
Ronan Farrow, Harvey Weinstein’s Secret Settlements, (The New Yorker. Nov.2017
L.K. Pennington, #DickheadDetox: The Weinstein Years, (Oct. 2017)
Megan Twohey et al. Weinstein’s Complicity Machine, (The New York Times, Dec.2017)
Beth Winegarner, “Weinstein Isn’t The Only One: Screen Celebs Who Abuse Women or Children” (Medium, Oct. 2017
Please email articles and posts to everyoneknewblog@hotmail.com or contact us here:
As with many feminist projects, I created this database without external financial support. If you can afford to donate £1 to help continue this project, I would be incredibly grateful.
Paypal: louisepennington@hotmail.co.uk
Everyone Knew 