The board of The Weinstein Company fired Harvey Weinstein as its co-chairman over the weekend but that didn’t stop Weinstein from attempting to halt the decision.
Weinstein sent a private email to a number of Hollywood executives at studios, networks and talent agencies, begging for their aid in helping him save his job on Sunday.
On Monday, Janice Min, The Hollywood Reporter’s former editor, tweeted an email Weinstein sent to powerful people in Hollywood asking for a second chance, hours before he was fired.
“I am desperate for your help,” Weinstein wrote as he asked for others to write a letter that he could present to the board of The Weinstein Company “stating your opposition to the board firing me.”
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The Weinstein Company, an independent film studio, fired the movie executive in the wake of sexual harassment allegations being levied against him.
Weinstein first declared in the email that he would “take a leave of absence and get into heavy therapy and counselling.”
He added, “We believe what the board is trying to do is not only wrong but might be illegal and would destroy the company.”
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, among the executives to receive Weinstein’s email were Discovery Network’s CEO David Zaslav, former DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, NBCUniversal vice chair Ron Meyer, WME-IMG co-CEO Ari Emanuel and CAA managing partner Kevin Huvane.
In the email, Weinstein said that he is “desperate for your help. Just give me the time to have therapy. Do not let me be fired. If the industry supports me, that is all I need.”
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Harvey Weinstein’s complete email is below.
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My board is thinking of firing me. All I’m asking, is let me take a leave of absence and get into heavy therapy and counseling. Whether it be in a facility or somewhere else, allow me to resurrect myself with a second chance. A lot of the allegations are false as you know but given therapy and counseling as other people have done, I think I’d be able to get there.
I could really use your support or just your honesty if you can’t support me.
But if you can, I need you to send a letter to my private gmail address. The letter would only go to the board and no one else. We believe what the board is trying to do is not only wrong but might be illegal and would destroy the company. If you could write this letter backing me, getting me the help and time away I need, and also stating your opposition to the board firing me, it would help me a lot. I am desperate for your help. Just give me the time to have therapy. Do not let me be fired. If the industry supports me, that is all I need.
With all due respect, I need the letter today.
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