#25. Marcelo Gomes
The internationally famous ballet dancer Marcelo Gomes was accused of sexual misconduct in December 2017. He resigned from the American Ballet Theater after the company decided to look into the woman’s accusation, who had allegedly been harassed by Gomes 8 years before.
Gomes went back to dancing in 2018 and participated as a guest dancer in different Russian ballets as well as in the Hong Kong Ballet. However, he hasn’t danced in the American Ballet Theater or in any other American ballet ever since.
#24. Glenn Thrush
In November 2017, 4 women accused the New York Times political reporter, Glenn Thrush of inappropriate behavior, including unconsented kissing and touching. Although he wasn’t fired from the newspaper, he was relocated to another reporting team.
For over a year, Thrush covered news on urban development, which he was far from interested in. But by the end of 2018, he went back to write about politics, covering that year’s congressional elections.
#23. James Franco
Being an icon of the LGBTQ+ community, the world was left in shock when news came out that actor James Franco had been accused of sexual misconduct. In January 2018, 5 women publicly accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior, both onset and behind the cameras.
While Franco initially denied these allegations, he then shifted to a more self-critical attitude. “If there’s restitution to be made, I will make it. So if I’ve done something wrong I will fix it, I, I have to”, he said. The actor made his stage comeback later that year after starring in the HBO show The Deuce and in the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
#22. Stephen Bittel
Known as the founder of the Terranova real estate and as the chairman of Florida’s Democratic Party, Stephen Bittel was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by various women in 2017. Not only was he accused by staff members of the Democratic Party, but also by an employee at Terranova who chose to sue him.
A couple of months after the scandal, he publicly apologized and resigned to his political post in the DP. Ever since then, he has kept himself away from politics and has instead put all his efforts into expanding his corporation. In fact, he recently opened a few food chains in Miami.
#21. Aziz Ansari
The allegations against actor and comedian Aziz Ansari have sparked a major controversy, as many supporters of the #MeToo movement have doubted the veracity of the accusations of sexual misconduct.
While Ansari publicly apologized for his past acts, he insisted that the sexual encounter was of mutual consent. After keeping a low profile for a few months, he came back to the stages in the spring of 2018 with his A Cry Against Extreme Wokeness tour.
#20. Roy Price
The powerful Amazon Studios executive Roy Price left the business world baffled after being accused by numerous women of sexual harassment and misconduct. The allegations led to his resignation in October 2017.
It seems that Price couldn’t carry the burden, so he moved to Hong Kong nearly one year later where he launched an art management company, International Art Machine.
#19. Matt Lauer
Out of all the male reporters accused during the #MeToo movement, Matt Lauer was the name that shocked everybody the most. The world had always regarded him as a smiley down-to-earth man, so we were all incredibly deceived to find out he had been accused of predatory sexual harassment in the workplace.
According to an investigation carried out by Variety in November 2017, he had sexually assaulted over 10 women in the workplace. “There is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed“, he publicly stated. In August 2018, he announced he’d soon be on TV again.
#18. Al Franken
In 2018, the former Saturday Night Live star and U.S. senator was accused of sexual harassment by 8 women. Franken denied the allegations against him and sparked controversy after claiming that he was the “champion of all women“.
Franken resigned from his political position, but by the end of 2018, he released a podcast where he addressed political issues. His first public appearance since the scandal took place in July 2019, and when asked if he would be running for office in the near future, he answered: “I haven’t ruled it out and I haven’t ruled it in“.
#17. Ryan Lizza
Ryan Rizza was one of the many reporters who were accused of sexual misconduct during the peak of the #MeToo movement. Once the accusations went public, he was immediately fired from his job in The New York Times.
Apparently, one of his co-workers accused him of “improper sexual misconduct“, while he insisted they had had a “respectful relationship“. While he never got his job back, Lizza began working for Esquire as a reporter in June 2018.
#16. Tavis Smiley
In December 2017, PBS decided to suspend the famous late-night talk host Tavis Smiley after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. “PBS engaged an outside law firm to conduct an investigation immediately after learning of troubling allegations regarding Mr. Smiley“, the company said.
Not only did Smiley deny the allegations, but he also sued the company for breach of contract. Just a month later, the TV host debuted in The Upside With Tavis Smiley, his new show aired on The World Network.
#15. Louis CK
Louis CK was possibly the most beloved stand-up comedian of the 21st century, at least until he was accused by 5 women for sexual harassment in November 2017. Unlike most men on this list, Louis admitted that the allegations were true and promised to “now step back and take a long time to listen“.
He canceled all his shows during the following 9 months and came back to the stage in September 2018 at New York City’s Comedy Cellar. Some of his latest shows have sparked controversy after he made fun of transgender people.
#14. Charlie Rose
Towards the end of 2017, the media world was left in shock after word came out that the famous interviewer Charlie Rose had been accused of sexual harassment and abuse by 8 women. The worst part was that these flagrant sexual behaviors had lasted not only for years but for decades.
By May 2018, 27 more women held him responsible for sexual misconduct or inappropriate sexual comments in the workplace, the reason for which he was fired both from PBS and CBS. Although he hasn’t made his stage comeback just yet, it was rumored he approached journalist Tina Brown and asked her to produce his next TV show.
#13. Les Moonves
The #MeToo movement has even reached the hierarchical layers of corporate power, as proved by the allegations against CBS executive Les Moonves. Over 25 women have accused him of sexual misconduct, both in and out of the workplace.
The allegations resulted in his imminent resignation from the company and he didn’t receive any severance payment. Mooves made a comeback in the wake of 2019 when he launched Moon Rise Unlimited, his new TV production company.
#12. Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor is one of the most famous American radio hosts of this time, but he was fired from Minnesota Public Radio after one of his co-workers accused him of sexual misconduct in November 2017. While he pleaded guilty, the company’s president claimed that the allegations included different inappropriate behaviors that had been perpetrated over many years.
Keillor went back to work one year later, and while the archives of his past shows had been deleted from the Internet after the scandal, he sealed a deal with MPR to make them available on his website. He currently has his own column in the New Hampshire Union Leader.
#11. Paul Marciano
Paul Marciano is yet another of America’s most famous corporate leaders who was forced to resign after being accused of sexual harassment by at least 5 women. The news became a trending topic in the tabloids, not only because Marciano is one of the most powerful men in the country, but also because the list of accusers included top model Kate Upton.
While he was initially asked to resign as Executive Chairman from the famous fashion company Guess, he was then allowed to stay as a chief creative officer, a decision that triggered social media backlash.
#10. James Rosen
The media world was left baffled when news came out that James Rosen had been accused of sexual harassment, namely for “flirting aggressively” with fellow co-workers. Apparently, 2 former Fox employees claimed to have been kissed by force by the popular Fox News correspondent.
After his 18-year career in the company, the allegations triggered Rosen’s resignation in December 2017. One year later, he took on a job at Sinclair Broadcast Group, where he currently works as an investigative journalist.
#9. Max Landis
Son of the famous screenwriter John Landis, Max Landis followed his father’s footsteps, famous for having written dozens of successful Hollywood action films. In 2018, several women revealed on Twitter they had been “sexually abused” by Landis.
Obviously, the tweets went viral, and many people – including a few prominent Hollywood screenwriters – said that Max’s father had known it all along and had tried to cover him up during all those years. Landis made his comeback in January 2019, and he faced an unpleasant media backlash when it was revealed he was writing a female-empowerment movie.
#8. Richard Meier
Now let’s take a quick break from Hollywood and talk for a while about Richard Meier, possibly one of the most iconic architects from the modern era. In March 2018, 5 women accused him of sexual harassment mostly in the workplace.
6 months following the allegations, Meier decided to take a leave from his firm. “hile our recollections may differ, I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my behavior“, he announced to the public. He took up his work in February 2019.
#7. Woody Allen
As you probably know, Woody Allen has been in the center of major sex scandals long before the #MeToo movement emerged. Back in 1992, he was accused of sexual abuse by his own daughter, Dylan Farrow.
Even though more than 2 decades have passed since Allen’s sex scandal, his case has come back to the spotlight in the wake of the “Weinstein effect”. At the beginning of 2018 and a result of the scandal, Amazon backed out of a deal with Allen, leading Allen to sue the company for breach of contract.
#6. Michael Oreskes
Michael Oreskes is yet another famous Washington Post news reporter to have been sacked from his job as a result of allegations of sexual harassment. In November 2017, numerous women claimed to have been assaulted by the reporter, both in and out of work.
Unlike most men in this list, Oreskes took the blame, publicly admitting that “My behavior was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility“. He went back to work in December 2019 after taking a job in LaCorte News.
#5. John Lasseter
In June 2018, it came to be known that filmmaker and scriptwriter John Lasseter had been accused by several women for sexual assault, including forceful kissing and grabbing. The creator of Toy Story and Cars took a 6-month leave of absence from Disney and Pixar.
However, it wasn’t long before Lasseter landed his next project, as he was soon hired by Skydance Animation. This too sparked controversy, as Emma Thompson dropped out of a film after the hiring of Lasseter.
#4. Bryan Singer
Although Bryan Singer has produced countless box office hits during the last decade, he reached the peak of his career after directing Freddy Mercury’s biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. He received a BAFTA award nomination for his directorial work, until this happened.
BAFTA suspended his nomination after Singer was accused of rape and sexual harassment towards minors on 3 occasions. One of the victims claimed to have been harassed by Singer offset when she was just 13. But this didn’t end here, as it was soon revealed he would direct a film where the lead character is sexually harassed during her youth. As you can imagine, this news revolutionized social media.
#3. Matthew Weiner
Matthew Weiner rocketed to fame after winning 9 Prime Emmys for his hit show, Mad Men. Fans and critics were shook when news came out that his former assistant and scriptwriter Kater Gordon had accused him of sexual harassment in November 2017.
Allegedly, Weiner once told Gordon that the least she could do was let him see her naked as a thank you for her fame. She refused, and soon after she was fired, despite having won an Emmy award for her writing. The following year, he went on to direct the drama series The Romanoffs.
#2. Eric Schneiderman
In May 2018, the news went viral that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had been accused by 4 women for sexual assault. This came as a shock, as it involved one of the most powerful government officials in the country.
Besides, Schneiderman had always advocated for gender equality and had supported the #MeToo movement. As to the allegations against him, they included slapping, choking, and hitting. He’s been going to therapy ever since and has been working as a meditation teacher as of January 2019 as part of his recovery program
#1. Harvey Weinstein
The allegations against film producer and media mogul Harvey Weinstein helped bring the #MeToo movement back to the limelight, shedding light on the sexual harassment that women are subject to in the Hollywood world.
All in all, he’s been accused of sexual misconduct by nearly 100 women, two of whom have pressed charges against him for predatory sexual assault. His case triggered a wave of accusations against dozens of media personalities in what became known as the “Weinstein effect”. According to The Washington Post, during the last year, he has started to work on new film projects.