In recent months, women have made dozens of accusations against powerful men in Hollywood and the media, and other industries, in what has been coined the #MeToo moment (named after the hashtag women used on social media to share their own stories of sexual harassment and abuse). Time magazine, which names an annual Person of the Year, gave the distinction for 2017 to all of the #MeToo “Silence Breakers.”
The cascade of accusations started in October, when The New York Times ran an exposé of Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer accused of sexual misconduct and assault by a long list of actresses, including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie. The Weinstein Company soon ousted its founder and is in the process of changing the company’s name. Last month, Netflix canceled its popular drama House of Cards amid sexual harassment allegations against the show’s star, Kevin Spacey. And, Matt Lauer, a host of the Today show, was fired last month after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, as was Charlie Rose, a longtime host of news shows on PBS and CBS.
The revelations have ignited a national debate about sexual harassment that has also ensnared President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, both of whom have been accused of sexual misconduct in the past. While Clinton has kept silent about the current debate, Trump has said recent accusations against him by more than a dozen women have been fabricated. Some Democrats in Congress have called for Trump’s resignation over the misconduct allegations.
While many Republican legislators declined to support Moore in the Alabama race, Trump endorsed him, saying Alabama needed a Republican in the Senate.