'Law & Order: SVU' to Address Harvey Weinstein Scandal
In an episode slated to premiere next year, NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" will feature a story inspired by the scandalous downfall of film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
"We are hitting Harvey Weinstein head-on, but it's not in the realm of the entertainment business," exec producer Michael Chernuchin told Entertainment Weekly.
Chernuchin said that they were already working on the episode before Weinstein's allegations of sexual harassment came to light.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"We were actually working on a story about airline pilots and what a boys club that is," the exec revealed. "We were beating the story out and said, 'Wow, this is exactly what the actresses go through in Hollywood. It's the same environment.' So we got all of our Harvey stuff out with airline pilots."
Early in October, the New York Times detailed decades' worth of sexual abuse, which prompted The Weinstein Company to fire the Oscar-winning producer. A-list celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, and Kate Beckinsale are among the women who fell victim to Weinstein's sexual advances.
Following the exposé, women as well as men in the entertainment industry have stepped forward and mustered the courage to speak out about their encounters with powerful and influential predators like Weinstein. Other high-profile Hollywood figures were accused, including Kevin Spacey, James Toback, and Brett Ratner.
Additionally, Hollywood's ongoing conversation about sexual misconduct in the workplace has encouraged individuals from other industries to speak up through the hashtag #metoo.
Weinstein's accusers have filed a joint class-action lawsuit that cites how the fallen producer's company covered up his crimes. While his brother, Bob Weinstein, once said that he was unaware that he was this kind of predator, a more recent exposé by The New Yorker claims that he used his personal bank account to pay for his brother's settlements.
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. The Weinstein-inspired episode is slated to air sometime next year.
