In a startling new interview, actress and prominent Me Too activist Rose McGowan has publicly questioned whether disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has ever truly experienced a day behind bars. McGowan, 52, who accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, expressed deep scepticism about the nature of his imprisonment.
A Theory of Privileged Confinement
Speaking on the latest episode of Paul C Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast, McGowan did not hold back. When asked if she felt justice had been served for the producer convicted of multiple sex crimes, she gave a revealing answer. "I would love to see a picture of him in prison. I suspect he's been in a mansion in Connecticut. That's my theory," she stated. "I don't know if he's ever spent a day in prison. Hollywood, baby. I don't know, maybe."
Weinstein, once a Hollywood titan, became the global face of sexual misconduct after allegations from nearly 90 women surfaced in 2017 media reports. He was subsequently convicted in both New York and California, with his legal saga continuing through a 2025 retrial. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence that began in 2018.
Hollywood's 'God' and a Childhood in a Cult
McGowan detailed the assault, which she first wrote about in her 2018 memoir Brave, describing Weinstein as a "thug" but not of the cinematic variety. More poignantly, she drew a direct parallel between the system that protected Weinstein for decades and her own traumatic upbringing in the controversial Children of God cult. "They calculated that he was thanked more times than God at the Oscars. Harvey Weinstein was their god," she claimed. "This was far worse than the cult I grew up in."
The interview took an emotional turn when Brunson showed McGowan a childhood photo with her father, Daniel. She reflected on their tumultuous relationship, which included a five-year silence after her teenage acting career began, but spoke of a posthumous understanding. "He hated Hollywood but couldn't explain why to me... And I think he loved me very deeply," she said.
A New Life and a Hope for Return
McGowan, famed for roles in Scream and Charmed, has lived in Mexico since fleeing Hollywood during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, becoming a permanent resident in 2021. She described 2020, a difficult year for many, as "the best year of my life" where she finally felt safe, loved, and free from the industry's shadow.
Despite the trauma, she ended the conversation with a note of hope for her professional future. "I would love to still have some kind of career to be able to do something in the arts and something creative again," she insisted, referring to the lasting burden of Weinstein's actions as "this warthog from hell on my back."
