James Van Der Beek Sexually Harassed by Hollywood Producer

I think that, if we’re honest, we all knew sexual harassment was a problem in Hollywood even before the Harvey Weinstein story broke. I had heard stories and jokes about casting couches and that sort of thing my whole life, and I don’t even live on the West Coast. Family Guy’s Minnie Mouse joke, seen below, is almost 20 years old and it wouldn’t work unless you had already heard these sorts of stories.

It’s not just women who are affected, as we learned when Terry Crews came forward with his story of being sexually harassed by a studio exec. Now, James Van Der Beek has come forward and said that he, too, experienced inappropriate sexual behavior from Hollywood bigwigs.

Van Der Beek tweeted:

What Weinstein is being accused of is criminal. What he’s admitted to is unacceptable – in any industry. I applaud everybody speaking out.

I’ve had my ass grabbed by older, powerful men, I’ve had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversations when I was much younger…

I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness & inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome

FTR, the harassment I tweeted about was by people 99.9% of you don’t know. 2 were charged (by others) & punished. The other has since died.

So apologies to any mentors & champions and wonderful friends I’ve made in this industry who may have been pulled into wrongful speculation.

I realize I left a door open by not initially naming, but please don’t impugn innocent people w/out cause. That’s not fair. Or right.

The big takeaway here is that it’s not just Harvey Weinstein abusing his position for sex, it’s a larger issue with the culture itself. And it’s mainly, but not exclusively, women who are the victims. And what we’ve heard so far is probably just the tip of the iceberg.