Women Kicked Out of Bar For Confronting Harvey Weinstein
Several women confronted disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein at an actors event Wednesday, resulting in two of them allegedly being kicked out of the event’s Downtime Bar NYC venue.
According to a Twitter recounting of the night, comedian Kelly Bachman “went after” Weinstein during her performance at an Actor’s Hour artist event, at which point she was allegedly booed and told to shut up. See Bachman’s set addressing Weinstein here.
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Soon after, Zoe Stuckless, one of the event’s attendees, “spoke up” and began yelling at Weinstein, prompting Weinstein’s bodyguards to allegedly remove her from the bar.
On Facebook, Stuckless explained her actions in a lengthy Facebook post, writing, “I thought about all of the voices that have been silenced over so many years. I thought about the artists, the women, who were paralyzed by the same fear that I felt, surrounded by colleagues who were intimidated into a culture of silence and passivity. This room was a microcosm of our whole community.”
Stuckless also shared a video of her confronting Weinstein in the same post.
Later in the evening, Amber Rollo — a friend of Bachman’s — also confronted Weinstein: “I went in and called him a f—ing monster and told him he should disappear. His friend/body guard/goon/family member called me a c—t and I really really wanted to lunge over the table and strangle him,” she wrote on Twitter.
A women at the table then allegedly “guided” her out of the bar.
Variety has reached out to Actor’s Hour, the organization that hosted the event, for comment.
Downtime Bar released a statement, addressing patrons’ concerns about the event.
“We want to address some concerns about a recent incident at Downtime. A company called Actors Hour rented our bar for a private event, with a guest list all their own. Shortly into the evening, one guest began heckling another, causing a disturbance to everyone in attendance,” a spokesperson for the bar wrote on Facebook. “After several requests to stop were ignored, we kindly asked the heckler to leave. Please know that our goal at Downtime is to create an environment where everyone feels welcome. We respect the privacy of our patrons and event partners, and want to ensure that all guests are treated equally, with the same service and respect. In keeping with this goal, we made a decision that would allow the evening to continue as planned.”
A representative for Weinstein responded to the event in a statement to Variety, writing, “Harvey Weinstein was out with friends enjoying the music and trying to find some solace in his life that has been turned upside down. This scene was uncalled for, downright rude and an example of how due process today is being squashed by the public, trying to take it away in the courtroom too.”
“As an aside – Harvey in fact suggested the woman should be allowed to talk and ask him any questions. The venue’s personnel asked the woman to leave, not Harvey’s. I would just point out that he being treated as if he has been convicted. Accusations are, in-fact, not convictions,” the statement continued. “Due process is still the foundation of each and every one of our civil rights in this country. Please don’t lose sight of that definitive conviction when you write. Anyone should be allowed to be there if they are acting in accordance with the norms of the space. As for the name calling, it was 100% not anyone in HW’s employ and not someone speaking on HW’s behalf.
Harvey Weinstein said, “I am happy to address anyone’s questions. We should all be offered the courtesy to voice opinions and be heard, and to even get answers. I am glad we all still have these rights.”
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