The swift downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein following new reports of decades of sexual harassment and abuse allegations against him has triggered a new question in Hollywood: Why did the story take so long to come out?
To hear TV hosts and commentators discuss the fallout of bombshell articles in the New York Times and New Yorker, Weinstein's behavior was an "open secret" in Tinseltown. MSNBC's Donny Deutsch said the news of Weinstein's conduct was not a surprise, as did President Donald Trump.
And the entertainment industry itself dropped hints for years.
Seth MacFarlane quipped during the 2013 Academy Awards that the nominees for Best Supporting Actress did not have to "pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein" anymore. A 2012 episode of "30 Rock" had character Jenna Maroney say that she had turned down intercourse offers from Weinstein "on no less than three occasions. Out of five."
Jimmy Kimmel asked Weinstein in 2012 if people in the movie business were "scared" of him. Howard Stern wondered during a radio interview with Weinstein in 2014 why he did not stay single because of the benefits his position could offer him.
"Why not stay single? I gotta figure every starlet in Hollywood wanted to at least blow you, you know what I'm saying?" Stern asked. "Did you ever get to experience, I'm gonna say, the mogul aspect? I mean, do a little coke, hang out with, I don't know, Julia Roberts give you a hand job, something? You never got any of that?"
"Howard, as you know only too well, it doesn't work that way," Weinstein said.
At least 29 women, some of them well-known actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, have accused Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment, Vanity Fair reported Thursday.