Warning: Distressing Content
Last week allegations of decades of sexual harassment surrounding Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein made headlines in a New York Times exposé.
Opening the floodgates, numerous actresses, including A-listers Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, spoke about how Weinstein had sexually harassed them in the explosive story.
The 10-month long investigative piece included interviews with three women who accused the infamous executive of rape.
Now actor and former NFL player Terry Crews has revealed his own story of how a Hollywood executive ‘groped my privates’ in a thread on Twitter last night.
Crews, 49, explained that the news about Weinstein was giving him PTSD because he was groped by a ‘high level Hollywood executive’ during an event last year.
His first tweets read:
This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME!
My wife and I were at a Hollywood function last year and a high level Hollywood executive came over to me and groped my privates.
Jumping back I said, ‘What are you doing?’! My wife saw everything and we looked at him like he was crazy. He just grinned like a jerk.
Crews admitted that he thought about fighting back but decided against it on the basis of how the media may have reported the situation, which he wouldn’t have been able to read because he ‘WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JAIL’.
He said:
‘240 lbs. Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho’ would be the headline the next day.
Only I probably wouldn’t have been able to read it because I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JAIL. So we left.
After sharing his story with people in the industry who worked with the perpetrator, Crews received a phone call the next day from the executive apologising.
However, the executive failed to give Crews a reason as to why the assault happened.
In the final tweets in the thread, Crews reflected on why many women do not speak out about their experiences.
He wrote:
I decided not to take it further because I didn’t want to be ostracised — par for the course when the predator has power and influence.
I let it go. And I understand why many women who this happens to let it go.
Who’s going to believe you? Few. What are the repercussions? Many. Do you want to work again? Yes. Are you prepared to be ostracised?
Crews also emphasised that Harvey Weinstein is ‘not the only perpetrator’ and this behaviour occurs elsewhere, not just Hollywood.
In his final tweet, Crews explained one of the reasons why he decided to share his story.
He added:
Hopefully, me coming forward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless.
Terry’s powerful thread emphasises that both men and women can be victims of sexual assault and we all need to make a stand.
While this behaviour has long persisted in Hollywood it can happen anywhere.
These brave women and men should be applauded for sharing their stories of these awful events.
