"Jolie Destroyed Me." Harvey Weinstein Gave His First Interview from Prison

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, serving time for sexually explicit crimes, gave his first extensive interview from prison, accusing Angelina Jolie of ruining his career. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the 73-year-old disgraced film mogul again denied rape allegations and blamed the actresses named in his case as the culprits behind his downfall.

"Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie just destroyed me," the producer said in a new interview.

Jolie and Paltrow were among the first to make revelations that sparked a New York Times investigation in 2017. Paltrow recounted how, at 22, she turned down a producer's advances. Jolie then claimed to have had a "bad experience" in a hotel room when Weinstein invited her to his room. The producer himself acknowledged a "power imbalance" between him and the women who made the allegations. He characterized his behavior as "excessive flirtation" and "stupid behavior," but categorically denied any coercion.

"I cheated on both my wives. It's immoral. But I didn't rape anyone," he said. "I know I can be scary and difficult. But it doesn't rise to the level of sexualized violence... I overstepped my boundaries, I abused my power. I was pushy and assertive, and I feel terrible about it. I'm ashamed of that behavior," the movie mogul added.

Weinstein claims that many of the allegations against him are motivated by profit. He claims that some women received large payments, including one alleged victim who received $3 million. "All I had to do to walk away with a check was fill out a form saying I had committed sexual assault," the producer explained, noting that only a few of these cases went to trial.

The interview focused on complaints about prison conditions, which Weinstein described as "hell on earth." According to the producer, he spends up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, is virtually deprived of communication, and uses a wheelchair due to a litany of chronic illnesses, including diabetes and cancer. He also fears physical violence from other inmates and believes authorities are deliberately holding him at Rikers to monitor him for future court cases.

Let's recap the timeline of the collapse of the Weinstein empire. In October 2017, The New York Times published an investigation into the producer's long-standing harassment following high-profile allegations from Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. This case became the starting point: it launched the #MeToo movement, and thousands of women around the world, following the Hollywood stars' lead, shared their stories of harassment, leading to a rethinking of the industry's attitude toward such crimes. Within days, Weinstein's board of directors fired him from his own company, and his wife, Georgina Chapman, filed for divorce.

In February 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and forced sexual intercourse. However, in April 2024, this sentence was overturned due to procedural violations: the court admitted testimony from women whose accusations were not included in the official charges. However, Weinstein did not receive his freedom—in February 2023, he was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison in a separate Los Angeles case for the rape of an actress. A retrial in 2025 found him guilty of sexually assaulting his former assistant, Miriam Haley.

The next hearing in the Weinstein case is scheduled for April 14, 2026.

Фото: Getty Images/Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Angela Weiss-Pool, Getty Images/Stephen Lovekin