Harvey Weinstein Turned Up At An Event For Young Actors. One Woman Who Confronted Him Was Thrown Out. – BuzzFeed News

A woman comedian was booed and two attendees kicked out after they protested the appearance of disgraced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein at an event for young performers in lower Manhattan on Wednesday night.

Weinstein turned up with an entourage to watch Actor’s Hour, a monthly speakeasy event “dedicated to artists” at Downtime bar in the Lower East Side.

One comedian, Kelly Bachman, called him out in her act onstage, referring to him as “the elephant in the room” and “Freddy Krueger.”

“I didn’t know we had to bring our own Mace and rape whistles to Actor’s Hour,” said Bachman, seen in video posted on Instagram.

Some audience members, ostensibly men, then started booing. “Shut up,” said one.

“This kills at group therapy for rape survivors,” replied Bachman. She then noted she herself was a rape survivor. She said “fuck you” to Weinstein before continuing with her set.

“I’m comfortable enough to talk about my experience, but when I’m sitting in the room with a monster that people are supporting, it just sucked the air out of my chest,” Bachman, 27, told BuzzFeed News.

Dozens of women, including many prominent actors, have come forward with sexual assault allegations against the former movie mogul. Weinstein is due to stand trial in January in New York City over a rape allegation.

Bachman told BuzzFeed News that she’d previously had nightmares about Weinstein and that seeing him in the audience during her gig was her “nightmare come to life.”

“It kind of felt like old-school Harvey to me — having his own table in a Lower East Side bar, surrounded by actors,” said Bachman.

Bachman said that during her set, which is about sex, at one moment she yelled “Consent is important” and stared directly at Weinstein.

“I didn’t want to make everyone comfortable,” said Bachman. “I didn’t want to make light of this person and make everyone feel good about it.”

She was frustrated that Weinstein affected her ability to perform the stand-up set, since the event was going to be taped. She said she was also annoyed that she didn’t call him out further: “Mom always tells me to reject Satan, but I wish I had said more.”

Zoe Stuckless, a 21-year-old actor, told BuzzFeed News they had been horrified when they recognized Weinstein sitting at the booth across from them, since they had thought the event, hosted by Actor’s Hour and Fundraiser Underground, would be a supportive space for emerging artists.

They’d seen Weinstein come in using a walker and at first assumed he was just a random old man; as the booth began filling out with younger women and older men in suits, Stuckless said, it became clear it was the man who used to be one of the most powerful and influential people in the industry.

“As his little booth filled out, his demeanor changed and it became really apparent that it was who we thought he was,” said Stuckless, who uses “they”/”them” pronouns.

When Bachman mentioned Weinstein’s presence during her set, Stuckless was grateful that someone was finally acknowledging what the entire room was whispering about.

“I was sitting there and I was like, surely the event organizers will say something. Now she’s brought it up, it can’t be denied,” said Bachman.

But the emcee of the event didn’t mention anything during the show. Later, a later male comedian joked about Bachman bringing up Weinstein.

“I’d like to address the elephant in the room,” said the male comedian, whom Bachman and Stuckless did not know. “Who in this room produced Good Will Hunting? ‘Cause that shit was great.”

Afterward, Stuckless watched the male comedian exchange pleasantries with Weinstein.

“That’s when I was felt so much anger and shame and fear bubbling in my gut,” said Stuckless. “That [Weinstein] was allowed to be in this space and allowed to be laughing and that comic was able to demean the person that went up before him.”

Stuckless said they could not believe the room’s support of Weinstein and that event organizers also seemed to encourage it.

“So many women have suffered so greatly because of their experiences with this man, and there were no repercussions,” said Stuckless, “and in fact he was being supported — and the community meant to uplift emerging actors and emerging artists was not only complicit but directly responsible for their silencing.”

Stuckless said they felt paralyzed by fear but knew they needed to say something because they “couldn’t imagine walking out of the room and him still feeling safe to go in and laugh with the community he was responsible for terrorizing for so many years.”

When intermission began, Stuckless walked over to Weinstein.

“Tell me what’s your name,” they asked Weinstein in a video seen by BuzzFeed News.

In the video, Weinstein puts his elbows on the table and puts his hands together, and another man next to Weinstein can be heard speaking to Stuckless. They said he told them it was none of their business and that they had no right to ask.

“Nobody is going to say anything?” screamed Stuckless in a video their friend filmed that they later posted to Facebook. “Nobody is really going to say anything,” they said, pointing a finger toward Weinstein.

Someone can then be heard telling them to leave. “I’ll get out of here, that’s fine, I am happy to leave, but nobody is going to say anything?” they continued. “I’m going to stand four feet from a fucking rapist, and no one is going to say anything?”

Stuckless said they were then ushered out of the venue by a man and a woman in a gold dress.

“This guy was leading me out the stairs, just repeating, ‘Due process, due process’ to me,” said Stuckless, who had asked the man if he worked at the bar. He didn’t respond.

The Downtime bar has not responded to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment, but posted on its Facebook page that: “Shortly into the evening, one guest began heckling another, causing a disturbance to everyone in attendance. After several requests to stop were ignored, we kindly asked the heckler to leave.”

Moments after Stuckless confronted Weinstein, so did Amber Rollo, a 31-year-old comedian who had attended to support her friend Bachman.

“She’s right,” Rollo told Weinstein, she recalled. “You’re a fucking monster. What are you doing out here? Fuck you.”

Rollo said one of the men accompanying Weinstein called her a “cunt” in response, while another woman on Weinstein’s table then guided her outside.

Rollo said she was so disappointed that Weinstein was being welcomed at events for actors and that those who questioned him were booed or removed from the venue.

“I am a rape survivor myself,” said Rollo, “I thought that everyone agreed that [Weinstein] was a bad person. Other people are questionable; he’s the worst of the worst. I thought we all knew that.”

Alexandra Laliberte, the organizer of Actor’s Hour, told BuzzFeed News it was the second time Weinstein had turned up to one of her events but that she didn’t have a security team and rather than turn him away, she thought the community could address him.

“I welcome all walks of life into my space,” she said.

When asked why she allowed Weinstein to attend an event specifically aimed at supporting and encouraging young actors when he has been directly accused of sexually assaulting and harassing dozens of them, Laliberte told BuzzFeed News: “I protect them by freedom of speech.”

“Comedians made fun of him,” said the 26-year-old actor. “This one lady stood up and screamed at him. People walked out, which was fantastic.”

But in a followup email statement shared on Actor’s Hour’s Facebook page, the organization said it “apologize[s] wholeheartedly for the way the situation was handled.”

Laliberte denied Weinstein was invited by her or anyone from her organization. However, Rollo and Bachman said they were told by other event organizers that Laliberte had allocated that table specifically for her industry contacts.

When asked if it was appropriate for Weinstein to be attending events for young actors, a public relations representative working for Weinstein, Juda Engelmayer, told BuzzFeed News that the former producer has the same rights as anyone else.

“I would just point out that accusations are not convictions, and due process is still the foundation of each and every one of our civil rights in this country,” said Engelmayer.

And in a statement to BuzzFeed News, Weinstein said he was “happy to address anyone’s questions.”

“We should all be offered the courtesy to voice opinions and be heard, and to even get answers,” he said. “I am glad we all still have these rights.”

But the women who spoke with BuzzFeed News said they wished Weinstein heard their request to stay away from spaces for young performers.

“I thought he would have not been allowed to go to an event to support actors and artists, when he’s ruined so many actors’ and artists’ lives,” said Rollo. “It feels like I’m in the twilight zone.”