Actress and #MeToo activist Rose McGowan has accused the Sunday Times Magazine of publishing “fake news” after it quoted her as having said the movement that she helped to foster was “a lie”.
McGowan, who alleged in October last year that Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein had raped her – he has denied the allegation – also said people in the media were trying to bring the movement down.
In an interview with Decca Aitkenhead, published yesterday, the journalist wrote that McGowan had not been invited to #MeToo survivor brunches and lunches.
McGowan was quoted as saying: “And I don’t want to go, because it’s all bullshit. It’s a lie. It’s a Band-Aid lie to make them feel better.
“I know these people, I know they’re lily-livered, and as long as it looks good on the surface, to them, that’s enough.”
McGowan has since denied saying #MeToo was a lie.
She tweeted yesterday evening: “I never said #MeToo is a lie. Ever. I was talking about Hollywood and Time’s Up, not #MeToo.
“Ugh. I’m so tired of erroneous sh*tstorms. #MeToo is about survivors and their experiences, that cannot be taken away.”
In a further video message posted on the platform earlier today, she said: “For some reason there are people in the media that will try to bring [#MeToo] down, but I say stand strong.”
She has also posted an image from what she claims is a copy of the Sunday Times interview transcript.
In response, the Sunday Times Magazine has tweeted a clarification.
It read: “We are sorry for any confusion and are happy to clarify that Rose McGowan’s comments in the Sunday Times Magazine interview related to #MeToo in Hollywood rather than the wider movement.”
The magazine has since changed the article’s online headline from “Rose McGowan, the actress who exposed Harvey Weinstein, on why #MeToo is a lie,” to “Rose McGowan, the actress who exposed Harvey Weinstein, on why #MeToo in Hollywood is a lie”.
At the time of writing, a correction notice has not appeared in the online version of the article.
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