Anthony Bourdain slams Alec Baldwin on #MeToo movement
Anthony Bourdain opened up about the #MeToo movement and shared some advice for actor and comedian, Alec Baldwin.
Anthony Bourdain opened up about the #MeToo movement and shared some advice for actor and comedian, Alec Baldwin.
“Just shut up," Bourdain advised the Hollywood actor when asked by the Daily Beast about their 2017 Twitter spat over Bourdain's girlfriend and Harvey Weinstein accuser Asia Argento.
“When someone you care about and respect, you see them struggle to go on the record—the incredible difficulty of going public about something, and the very real peril at the time—it changes you,” Bourdain said of Argento accusing Weinstein of sexual assault. "When Asia spoke to Ronan [Farrow], I think she might have been the first to go on record knowing with absolute certainty that she would most likely be sued, destroyed, crushed by this gigantic machine that had for decades been crushing far more powerful people than her who dared speak up. But she did it anyway. So to see that, and to see the blowback in Italy where she’s received no support, has been eye-opening."
Just as the Weinstein scandal was starting to dominate headlines late last year, Argento called out Baldwin after he appeared on PBS Newshour and criticized Weinstein victim Rose McGowan, for setting with the disgraced movie mogul.
Anthony Bourdain (right) has defended his girlfriend, Asia Argento, over her claims that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her. (Reuters)
Argento took to Twitter and said, "Hey @AlecBaldwin you're either a complete moron or providing cover for your pals and saving your own rep. Maybe all three."
Baldwin replied to Argento and wrote, "If you paint every man w the same brush, you’re gonna run out of paint or men."
And it wasn't long before Bourdain stepped in to defend his girlfriend. The TV host lashed back at Baldwin and said, "You are really too dumb to pour piss out of a boot."
Following the Twitter beef, Bourdain cooked dinner for three of Weinstein’s accusers: Argento, McGowan and Annabella Sciorra.
“As importantly,” Bourdain continues, “the other women that started talking to Asia—sometimes in my presence—I started hearing a lot of things and seeing a lot of things that I had been blind to before, and had not heard before.
"I would love to tell you that I had all along been enlightened, but I was not. It was personal, it was emotional, and it was life-changing. I can only say that I’m honored and grateful to learn and be inspired by these women," he said.
While Bourdain supports the #MeToo movement, the TV host admitted that he has been reluctant to speak out about the force changing the entertainment industry, explaining that unlike Baldwin, he doesn't want to steal the spotlight away from the many women who the movement is about.
“It’s something I’m very aware of when I hear myself talking about it—it makes me very uneasy,” he said. “These are not my stories, so I feel that every time I’m talking about it I’m taking up space that should be rightfully taken by a woman. It’s a fine line for me. I don’t particularly enjoy talking about it. But if you ask me, I’ll tell ya.”
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