Dustin Hoffman accusers write letter thanking John Oliver for defending them
Several women who have accused Dustin Hoffman of sexual misconduct have co-signed a letter thanking "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver for confronting the actor about the allegations against him during a panel.
Anna Graham Hunter, who wrote a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter accusing Hoffman of groping her when she was a teenager, tweeted a statement from the women, saying, "We want to thank you for confronting Dustin Hoffman. While the questions you asked may not have led to the constructive conversation you hoped for, the fact that you asked them at all is what matters the most."
The letter pointed out that Oliver took an extra step against the culture of sexual harassment, saying, "Many men listen to and believe women when we recount our experiences of sexual harassment and assault. Few men put themselves at risk -- socially or professionally -- to have uncomfortable conversations with other men."
The letter ended by saying, "Change will depend on men reflecting on their own behavior and challenging other men to do the same."
Hunter, Wendy Riss Gatsiounis, Kathryn Rossetter, Melissa Kester, Cori Thomas and two anonymous women co-signed the letter.
Earlier in December, Oliver was hosting and moderating a discussion panel at New York's 92nd Street Y about the 20th anniversary of the film "Wag the Dog" -- a political spoof in which campaign advisers fabricate a war to cover up a presidential sex scandal -- when he addressed the issue that he said was "hanging in the air." Though the panel also included Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and director Barry Levinson, multiple reports say that the argument between Oliver and Hoffman dominated the event.
"It's hanging in the air?" Hoffman responded, according to video of the exchange published by the Washington Post. "From a few things you've read you've made an incredible assumption about me." Then he said, sarcastically, "You've made the case better than anyone else can. I'm guilty."
Oliver was referring to the guest column by Hunter, in which she said that Hoffman groped her and made inappropriate remarks when she was a teenage intern on a movie set in the 1980s. In the column, Hunter quoted several diary entries from that time. Gatsiounis later told Variety that Hoffman propositioned her during a 1991 meeting.
After Hunter's column was published, Hoffman said, "I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am."
But at the panel, Hoffman took a different tack and said he did not remember Hunter.
"I still don't know who this woman is. I never met her. If I met her it was in concert with other people," he said.
Oliver slammed Hoffman's apology and said, "'It's not reflective of who I am' -- it's that kind of response to this stuff that pisses me off."
Oliver continued, "It is reflective of who you were. If you've given no evidence to show it didn't [happen] then there was a period of time for a while when you were a creeper around women. It feels like a cop-out to say 'it wasn't me.' Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?"
Instead of talking about the film, the heated conversation remained heavily focused on sexual harassment.
Oliver said, "There's no point in [an accuser] lying."
"Well, there's a point in her not bringing it up for 40 years," Hoffman replied.
"Oh, Dustin," Oliver said, putting his head in his hand.
Oliver said that talking about sexual harassment was not "fun" for him, but he felt obligated to bring it up. He said, "There's an elephant in the room because, this particular incident, a conversation has not been had."
Rosenthal tried to move on from the argument and said of "Wag the Dog," "It wasn't produced by [Harvey] Weinstein or Miramax … Kevin Spacey wasn't starring in it. Let's look at real sexual criminal predators." Oliver responded that Rosenthal was setting a "low bar."
Hoffman asked Oliver to keep an "open mind" and that he has an "incredible respect" for women.
Later, the audience joined in, with one member telling Oliver to "let it go," while others said, "Thank you for believing women."
