50-Plus Famous Men In Media, Sports, Politics Accused In Recent Weeks

NEW YORK (AP) — Since The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in October, multiple men in entertainment, media and politics in the U.S. and beyond have faced allegations ranging from inappropriate behavior to forced sexual misconduct to rape. This week, allegations against “Today” show host Matt Lauer and humorist Garrison Keillor led to their prompt dismissals, while music mogul Russell Simmons stepped down from the companies he founded after a second allegation of sexual misconduct.

To be sure, prominent men have faced sexual misconduct claims before. But the accusations against Weinstein have opened a floodgate, sparked an international conversation and put new pressure on companies, industries, and political leaders to respond. President Donald Trump has condemned some of the accused, been more muted about others, and found himself again being asked about sexual harassment and misconduct allegations leveled against him during last year’s presidential campaign. The Republican says they’re fake.

The #Metoo moment is also prompting re-examination of past sexual misconduct claims against powerful men, including Democratic former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. He was impeached and then acquitted of perjury and obstruction of lawmakers’ investigation into his sexual encounters with a White House intern, and he settled a sexual harassment lawsuit stemming from his time as Arkansas governor.

A look at some of the men accused since the Weinstein accusations emerged:

Entertainment:

— Celebrity chef John Besh — Accused by 25 women of sexual harassment. He has stepped down from the company he founded.

— Singer Nick Carter — Accused by pop singer Melissa Schuman of raping her approximately 15 years ago. Carter has denied her allegations.

— Comedian Louis C.K. — Accused by five women of sexual misconduct. Planned release of film “I Love You, Daddy” halted. Netflix special canceled. He says the allegations are true and has apologized.

— Cinefamily executives Hadrian Belove and Shadie Elnashai — Accused of sexual misconduct. Movie theater shut down in the wake of allegations due to crippling debt.

— Actor Richard Dreyfuss — One woman alleges sexual harassment. He denies the allegation.

— Film producer Adam Fields — Accused of offering a promotion to a woman at his former employer, Relativity Media, in exchange for sex. He has denied the allegations.

— Director-producer Gary Goddard — Accused by one man of sexually molesting him when the man was 12. He denies the allegation.

— Casting employee Andy Henry — Admitted to urging women to take off their clothes during coaching sessions in 2008 while working on the “CSI” series. He was fired by his current employer.

— Actor Dustin Hoffman — Accused by woman of sexual harassing when she was 17. He has apologized for his behavior.

— Playwright Israel Horovitz — Accused by nine women of sexual misconduct, including forcible kissing and rape. He tells The New York Times his recollection of the events is different from the women’s accounts and apologized “with all my heart to any woman who has ever felt compromised by my actions.”

— Actor Robert Knepper — Accused by one woman of sexual assault. He denies the allegations.

— Showrunner Andrew Kreisberg — Accused by 19 women of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching. The “Supergirl” and “Arrow” showrunner has been fired by Warner Bros. Television Group. He told Variety he has made comments on women’s appearances and clothes “but they were not sexualized.”

— Pixar and Disney Animation chief John Lasseter — Accused by several women of unwanted touching and has announced he is taking a six-month leave of absence. He has acknowledged some “missteps” with employees and apologized for any behavior that made workers uncomfortable.

— Actor Jeremy Piven — Accused by several women of sexual misconduct. He denies all allegations.

— Filmmaker Brett Ratner — Accused by at least six women of sexual harassment. Playboy shelved projects with Ratner and Ratner stepped away from Warner Bros. related activities. He denies the allegations.

— Comedy festival organizer Gilbert Rozon — Accused by at least nine women of sexually harassing or sexually assaulting them. Rozon stepped down as president of Montreal’s renowned “Just for Laughs” festival and apologized “to all those I have offended during my life.”

— Producer Chris Savino — Accused of harassing up to 12 women. Fired from Nickelodeon. He has apologized for his behavior.

— Actor Steven Seagal — Accused by two women of rape. He denies the allegations.

— Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons — Accused by model Keri Claussen Khalighi of coercing her to perform a sex act and later penetrating her without her consent in his New York apartment in 1991. Also accused by Sidney Lumet’s daughter of taking her to his New York apartment in 1991 against her will and having sex with her. In response to Jenny Lumet’s allegations, Simmons has stepped away from his companies. Simmons has also disputed Claussen Khalighi’s account, saying the relationship was consensual.

— Actor Tom Sizemore — Accused of groping an 11-year-old actress in 2003. Utah prosecutors declined to file charges, citing witness and evidence problems. He denies the allegation.

— Actor Kevin Spacey — Accused by at least 24 men of sexual misconduct or assault. London police reportedly investigating two sexual assaults. Fired from “House of Cards” and replaced in Ridley Scott’s completed film “All the Money in the World.” Massachusetts prosecutors are investigating one allegation. His former publicist has said he is seeking unspecified treatment.

— Actor Jeffrey Tambor — Two women — an actress on his show “Transparent” and his assistant — allege sexual misconduct. He denies the allegation, saying in a statement that he has “never been a predator — ever.” Tambor said this week he doesn’t see how he can return to the Amazon series.

— Actor George Takei — One man alleges sexual assault. He denies the allegation.

— Writer-director James Toback — Accused by hundreds of women of sexual harassment. Beverly Hills police investigating complaints. He has denied the allegations to the Los Angeles Times.

— “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner — Accused by one woman of sexual harassment. He denies the allegation.

— Producer Harvey Weinstein — Accused by dozens of women of sexual harassment or sexual assaults, including rape. Fired by The Weinstein Co. and expelled from various professional guilds. Under investigation by police departments in New York, London, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. Weinstein denies all allegations of non-consensual sex, but he has apologized for causing “a lot of pain” with “the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past.”

— Actor Ed Westwick — Accused by two women of sexual assault. The BBC pulled an Agatha Christie adaptation from its television schedule and halted production on a second sitcom starring the former “Gossip Girl’ actor. Los Angeles police are investigating. He denies the allegations.

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Media, publishing and business:

— Billboard magazine executive Stephen Blackwell — Accused of sexual harassment by one woman. He has resigned from the magazine.

— Penguin Random House art director Giuseppe Castellano — Accused by one woman of sexual harassment. Penguin Random House is investigating. Castellano has not commented.

— New Republic publisher Hamilton Fish— Multiple sexual harassment allegations. He has resigned from the magazine.

— Journalist Mark Halperin — Accused of harassing about 12 women while at ABC News. Book contract terminated. Fired from job at NBC News. He has denied some of the allegations.

— Former “A Prairie Home Companion” host Garrison Keillor — Accused by one woman of inappropriate behavior. He was fired by Minnesota Public Radio. He has told The Associated Press he was fired over “a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard,” and told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he put his hand on a woman’s bare back in an attempt to console her.

— Artforum publisher Knight Landesman — Accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and sued by one woman. He has resigned from the magazine.

— “Today” host Matt Lauer — Accused by at least three women of sexual misconduct, including inappropriate sexual behavior that NBC News says started at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and continued after that. Lauer has been fired from NBC News. He has expressed sorrow and regret about the pain he has caused and says some of the accusations about him are untrue or have been mischaracterized.

— NPR news chief Michael Oreskes — Accused of inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment by at least four women while at The New York Times, NPR and The Associated Press. He has been ousted from NPR.

— Amazon executive Roy Price — Accused by one woman of sexual harassment. He resigned from Amazon.

— Journalist Geraldo Rivera — Accused by Bette Midler of groping her in the early 1970s when Rivera was sent to interview her. He has not yet responded to Midler’s renewal of the allegation, which she made in a 1991 interview with Barbara Walters.

— PBS and CBS host Charlie Rose — Accused by several women of unwanted sexual advances, groping and grabbing women, walking naked in front of them or making lewd phone calls. He has apologized for his behavior, but has questioned the accuracy of some of the accounts.

— New York Times White House reporter Glenn Thrush — Accused of making drunken, unwanted advances on women. He disputes some of the accusations but has said he had had a drinking problem and apologized for “any situation where I behaved inappropriately.”

— Webster Public Relations CEO Kirt Webster — Accused of sexual assault by one man. Firm renamed and Webster is “taking time away.”

— Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner — Accused by one man of sexual harassment. He says he did not intend to make the accuser uncomfortable.

— New Republic editor Leon Wieseltier — Accused of sexually harassing numerous women. Removed from the masthead of The Atlantic magazine. He has apologized for his behavior.

— NBC News booker Matt Zimmerman — Accused of inappropriate conduct by multiple women at the network. He was fired from NBC.

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Politics:

— California state Rep. Raul Bocanegra — Accused by multiple women of groping them or kissing them against their will. He has resigned his seat, and says he hopes to clear his name and has said, “While I am not guilty of any such crimes, I am admittedly not perfect.”

— Florida Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Bittel — Accused of sexually inappropriate comments and behavior toward a number of women, Bittel resigned. Meanwhile, Democratic state Sen. Jeff Clemens resigned after a report that he had an extramarital affair with a lobbyist, and Republican state Sen. Jack Latvala is being investigated by the Senate over allegations of harassment and groping. Latvala has denied the allegations.

— Former President George H.W. Bush — Accused of patting seven women below the waist while posing for photos with them in recent years, well after he left office. The 93-year-old Republican has issued repeated apologies through a spokesman “to anyone he has offended,” with the spokesman noting that the former president uses a wheelchair and that his arm sinks below people’s waists when they take photos with him.

— U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) — Accused of sexual harassment toward staffers in his office, and has settled one claim of harassment. He has denied the allegations, even the one he settled. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is calling for his resignation.

— Two Minnesota state lawmakers — Democratic Sen. Dan Schoen and Republican Rep. Tony Cornish — said they would resign after they were accused of misdeeds that ranged from groping colleagues to persistent unwanted sexual advances and sexting.

— British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon — Accused of inappropriate advances on two women, the Conservative resigned. Sexual harassment and assault allegations have also emerged against a number of other U.K. political figures. Labour Party legislator Carl Sargeant is believed to have taken his own life after harassment allegations cost him his post as the Welsh government’s Cabinet secretary for communities and children. He had asked for an independent inquiry to clear his name. Also, Labour Party member Ivan Lewis has been suspended over an allegation of sexual misconduct; Lewis disputed the account but apologized if his behavior had been “unwelcome or inappropriate.”

— U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) — Accused of forcibly kissing Los Angeles radio anchor Leeann Tweeden while rehearsing for a 2006 USO tour; Franken also was photographed with his hands over her breasts as she slept. He also has been accused by three other women of touched their buttocks, and another woman told CNN that Franken had cupped her right breast when she stood next to him for a photo in December 2003. Franken has apologized, though hasn’t admitted to groping or other inappropriate touching. He has acknowledged that some women felt that he had done something offensive during their encounters. He faces a Senate ethics investigation for improper conduct.

— Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover — Stepped down as speaker this month after news surfaced that the Republican had settled a sexual harassment claim from a GOP caucus staffer. Hoover denied the harassment allegation but said he sent consensual yet inappropriate text messages. He remains in the Legislature.

— U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore (R.-Ala.) — Accused of sexually assaulting two women decades ago when they were teenagers; about a half-dozen other women have accused Moore of inappropriate conduct. The former state Supreme Court chief justice denies the allegations. He has rebuffed pressure from national Republican leaders to step aside; the state GOP is standing by him.

— Johnny Anderson, a staffer for Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards — The deputy chief of staff for programs and planning resigned to avoid becoming a “distraction” to the governor. Accused of sexual harassment, he denies any wrongdoing.

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Sports:

— International Olympic Committee member Alex Gilady — Accused by two women of rape and by two others of inappropriate conduct. Gilady denied the rape accusations, said he didn’t recall one of the other allegations, but acknowledged a claim he’d propositioned a woman during a job interview 25 years ago was “mainly correct.” He stepped down as president of an Israeli broadcasting company he founded. The IOC has said it is looking into the allegations.

— Former South African soccer association president Danny Jordaan — Accused by former member of parliament Jennifer Ferguson of raping her in 1993. Jordaan denies the accusation.