Bob Weinstein faces sexual harassment allegations amid brother Harvey’s downfall
Spike television network is investigating sexual harassment allegations against Bob Weinstein, the brother of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein, after a female showrunner of a Weinstein Company series accused him of inappropriate behavior.
Amanda Segel, a former executive producer of the sci-fi series "The Mist," claims Bob Weinstein made repeated overtures to her that included invitations to dinner, to his home and to a hotel room, according to a story published Tuesday by Variety.
"We take all allegations of this nature very seriously, and are investigating," Spike said in a statement.
She says the propositions began in June 2016 and were put to a stop a few months later only after Segel's lawyer gave Weinstein Co. executives an ultimatum that Segel would leave the show if Weinstein persisted.
An arrangement reportedly was struck that restricted Weinstein's contact with Segel while she was doing her job. ("The Mist" was recently cancelled after a 10-episode first season.)
Bert Fields, an attorney for Weinstein, strongly refuted the allegations.
"Variety's story is riddled with false and misleading assertions by Miss Segel," Fields said. "Even if you believed anything that she said, it contains not a hint of any inappropriate touching, or even a request for such touching."
"I've known Bob Weinstein for many years," Fields added, "and he's the last guy that would be involved in any form of sexual harassment."
Segel's attorney, David Fox, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
In a separate Wall Street Journal report, Jeffrey Katzenberg, a former Walt Disney executive who worked at the company when it owned the Weinstein-founded studio Miramax, also condemned Bob Weinstein’s behavior. The article, which cited multiple former business associates who have worked with Weinstein, alleged that he was a “volatile” executive who regularly engaged in inappropriate behavior.
“Bob Weinstein was genuinely abusive to people in my company,” Katzenberg told the Journal. “The one person who revealed himself in a way that was unacceptable to me was, in fact, Bob.”
Weinstein responded to the story in a statement. “At times I have a temper, but I would not describe it as volatile, and I’m definitely not a bully,” he told the Journal.
Segel's accusations came to light just two weeks after an explosive story by The New York Times reported on older brother Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual harassment and assault of women spanning several decades. That story was followed by another expose in The New Yorker.
Since those stories surfaced, more than three dozen women have spoken up with additional accusations. Harvey Weinstein was fired from the company he co-founded with Bob, and on Tuesday resigned from its board. He lost his membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The very future of The Weinstein Co. is currently in doubt.
In the meantime, Bob Weinstein has publicly condemned his brother while professing he was unaware that Harvey had engaged in any non-consensual relations with women.
"I'm mortified and disgusted by my brother's actions. And I am sick for the victims," he said in an interview by The Hollywood reporter published Saturday.
Until now, no such accusations had been made against Bob Weinstein.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.