Rose McGowan, Ben Affleck, Twitter Caught In Weinstein Firestorm
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Twitter says they have restored Actress Rose McGowan's account after being criticized for muting one of the more outspoken figures in the sexual harassment scandal surrounding former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
McGowan -- one of a growing number of actresses and women who have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, misconduct, and rape – posted a screenshot of the message she received from Twitter on Instagram overnight.
The 12-hour suspension comes in the wake of McGowan cursing out actor Ben Affleck on the platform for saying he had no previous knowledge of Weinstein's history of sexual misconduct.
Kate Beckinsale was the latest to come forward Thursday, revealing that Weinstein came on to her when she was just 17.
There are now reports that police in New York and England have opened investigations into some of the reported allegations.
Affleck himself has also experienced collateral damage from the Weinstein scandal, after a fan tweeted a reminder that Affleck groped "One Tree Hill" actress Hilarie Burton on MTV's "TRL."
I didn't forget.
— Hilarie Burton Morgan (@HilarieBurton) October 10, 2017
Affleck apologized for the incident Wednesday.
Twitter is also drawing criticism for its decision to suspend McGowan's account.
Trump threatens nuclear war: no problem
— Simon Brew (@simonbrew) October 12, 2017
Racism/homophobia/threats? No problem.
Rose McGowan calling people out? Banned from Twitter.
Twitter suspending Rose McGowan's account is exactly why women don't speak out. Because when they do they are silenced + shamed ????????
— rosadelman (@rosadelman) October 12, 2017
Twitter suspending Rose McGowan's account because she has the balls to call out everyone in Hollywood is truly nauseating. #RoseMcGowan #ROSEARMY
— Joseph A. Wulfsohn (@JosephWulfsohn) October 12, 2017
Twitter says McGowan's account was temporarily locked because one of her tweets included a private phone number -- a violation of Twitter's Terms of Service. The explanation wasn't enough for Twitter critics.
We have been in touch with Ms. McGowan's team. We want to explain that her account was temporarily locked because one of her Tweets included a private phone number, which violates our Terms of Service. 1/3
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) October 12, 2017
Hey @Twitter let us know which of these rules @rosemcgowan broke. Asking for multiple victims of sexual violence. https://t.co/eiZjQeMAVg
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/yashar/statuses/918516399018045441
Weinstein was spotted Wednesday flying out of Van Nuys Airport for Arizona to check himself into a rehabilitation center specializing in sex addiction. Before he left, TMZ reported he argued with his daughter outside her Fairfax District home. There was a call to police reporting a person making suicidal statements, but officers who responded to the location determined it was a family dispute.
McGowan herself alleged in 2016 that she was raped by a studio head, but did not name her rapist. Last week's New York Times report did say McGowan reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in 1997 for "an episode" in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival. McGowan is among dozens of women have come forward since explosive reports were published in the New York Times and the New Yorker, detailing decades of sexual misconduct and harassment involving young actresses including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, and Rosanna Arquette.