Ashley Judd Isn’t Brave – She’s A Selfish Seahag.

I cannot believe all the crap I’m reading on the internet right now about how “brave” Ashley Judd is for “breaking her silence” about Harvey Weinstein.

Remember a year ago (almost to the day!) when I wrote about Ashley Judd’s Variety interview about this very topic?

Lemme give you a little recap.  In that interview a year ago, Ashley Judd claimed to have been sexually harassed by one of Hollywood’s “most famous, admired/reviled bosses.”

She didn’t name Harvey Weinstein, y’all.  She claimed that at the time the harassment occurred, she didn’t “recognize what was happening” to her, and that “it took years before she could evaluate that incident and realize there was something incredibly wrong and illegal about it.”

So, once she realized it, did she name him?  Nope.

She went on to say:

This will be familiar to all the women to whom this has happened. I have a feeling we are a legion. I was with a bunch of other actors, and it was critical that it was actors: The exact same thing had happened to them by the exact same mogul. Only when we were sitting around talking about it did we realize our experiences were identical. There was a mutual strengthening and fortification of our resolve. One of the things that comes to mind for me: there was a really big feature that was done on this person in a national magazine, and there were all these allegations that they controlled the interview and had people listening in. And I thought, “If someone had come and talked to me, I don’t care. I will absolutely share that experience.” Part of the strategy that keeps girls and women constrained in their professional experiences is retaliation and ridicule.

So a year ago, she was all ready to talk about it, WITHOUT NAMING HIM.  How is this helpful? If she was so ready to “share the experience” then why didn’t she come forward until the New York Times did their piece on him?  How many women were subjected to Harvey Weinstein’s perversion because Ashley and others stayed silent?

She went further in her interview last year (emphasis mine):

The ultimate thing when I was weaseling out of everything else was, “Will you watch me take a shower?” And all the other women, sitting around this table with me, said, “Oh my god—that’s what he said to me too.” In that moment, I told him something like, “When I win an Academy Award in one of your movies.” He said, “No, when you get nominated.” I said, “No, no, when I win an Academy Award.” That was a small moment of power when I was able to contradict him and hold to my reality. And then I got out of there. And by the way, I’ve never been offered a movie by that studio. Ever.

Oh reeeeeeally?  So, if she was never been offered a movie by that studio, then what did she stand to lose by naming him sooner?  Why did she protect him?  And if she was never offered a movie by that studio, why is she now linking to the New York Times expose about this story, in which it clearly states, “Years later, Ashley Judd appeared in two Weinstein films without incident?”

Ashley Judd isn’t only NOT brave, she’s complicit.  She expressed tacit approval for Weinstein by agreeing to appear in his movies long after she claims to have been harassed by him.  And I’m equally disgusted with any woman who accepted a pay-off to stay quiet about experiencing unwanted sexual advances from Weinstein.  They too, are complicit, for allowing this behavior to continue, KNOWING that he’d continue to harass other women.

Ashley continued in her interview last year:

I beat myself up for a while. This is another part of the process. We internalize the shame. It really belongs to the person who is the aggressor. And so later, when I was able to see what happened, I thought: Oh god, that’s wrong. That’s sexual harassment. That’s illegal. I was really hard on myself because I didn’t get out of it by saying, “OK motherf—er, I’m calling the police.”

 

That’s what I should have done, because I’m smart. That also contributed to my journey of coming forward, because I felt bad about myself initially for the way I maintained my safety and got out of the room. When, in fact, what I did was exceedingly clever and brilliant and self-preserving. That’s another element of how we internalize those attitudes and talking to other people is so crucial is being able to take action.

Wow.  Someone thinks an awful lot of someone, doesn’t someone?  “What I did was exceedingly clever and brilliant and self-preserving?”  No, Ashley, what you did HURT OTHER WOMEN.  You freaking got on a stage in DC in your stupid pussy hat and railed against Donald Trump for making a sexual comment in a private conversation to Billy Bush, and yet you happily took a paycheck from the guy who you say harassed you?  You HYPOCRITICAL HOSEBEAST.  You’re not brave – you’re a disgrace.

Cue a bunch of people yelling at me that I’m some kind of horrible victim blamer.  I’m not blaming Ashley for being harassed.  The blame for that rests fully on Weinstein’s shoulders. I’m blaming her for allowing other women – and perhaps dozens! –  to have to experience the same thing when she could have spoken out and perhaps prevented further abuse.

And because Hollywood is so incestuous, instead of people recognizing the obvious, we have this:

So, does Brie Larson believe Bill Clinton’s victims?  And further, does ASHLEY JUDD????  After all, Ashley gushed over Bill Clinton when Hillary Clinton ran for president the first time, saying that he’s a “man who loves his bride.”  Seriously?

The fact that Ashley Judd is now being praised as some sort of brave heroine is positively nauseating.  She continued to benefit financially from her relationship with Harvey Weinstein, long after she claims to have experienced the harassment, kept silent about it even after discovering that many women had had the same experience, and for that she’s brave?  OMG.

Rose McGowan accepted a $100,000 settlement back in the 90s, which presumably included a “keep your mouth shut about this” clause.  And now she too, is being hailed as a brave heroine for “breaking her silence.”  Y’all – she got PAID.  She accepted money in order to keep quiet.  This is what we consider bravery now?

Ashley Judd told the NYT, “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.”  Gee – YA THINK?  Could that have anything to do with the fact that you’re past your acting prime and can’t get big roles in movies anymore ANYWAY?  There is zero risk in talking about this now.  And we’re supposed to think that’s brave??

GIVE ME A BREAK.