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Minka Kelly Alleges ‘Gross’ Conversation With Harvey Weinstein: ‘I’m Sorry for Obliging His Orders’

Minka Kelly and Harvey Weinstein
Minka Kelly and Harvey WeinsteinJesse Grant/Getty Images; Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Amid allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Harvey Weinstein, Minka Kelly is coming forward with her own story about an uncomfortable encounter with the former studio head.

Related: Kate Winslet, More Stars Speak Out Against Harvey Weinstein

“I met Harvey at an industry party. The following day, my agent said he wanted to see me for a general meeting. The location was set for his hotel room. I wasn’t comfortable with going to his room & said so,” she recalled in an Instagram post on Friday, October 13. “The following day, we sat down with an assistant in the hotel restaurant. He bullsh-t me for 5 minutes re: movies he could put me in, then asked the assistant to excuse us. As she walked away, he said, ‘I know you were feeling what I was feeling when we met the other night’ and then regaled me with offers of a lavish life filled with trips around the world on private planes etc. IF I would be his girlfriend. Or, ‘We could just keep this professional.’”

“All I knew was not to offend this very powerful man and to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. I told him while flattered, I’d like to keep things professional,” she continued. “He said ‘Fine. I trust you won’t tell anyone about this.’ I said ‘Of course not. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me,’ – the only way I could think to shut it down gracefully and excuse myself.”

Courtesy of Minka Kelly/Instagram

Although the Friday Night Lights alum told a member of her team what happened, she is now apologizing for how she handled the situation. “I immediately told my agent what happened. We marveled at his audacity, reinforced my instinct not to offend him & laughed at how glad I was to get out of there. Neither of us were that surprised as this wasn’t far off from the day-to-day bullshit of being an actress,” she wrote. I’m sorry for obliging his orders to be complicit in protecting his behavior, which he obviously knew was wrong or he wouldn’t have asked me not to tell anyone in the first place. For making him feel ok about the gross things he was saying and that I felt my only route was to say I was flattered. For not insisting that my reps never allow anyone to take a meeting in a hotel room (with him or anyone else), because I honestly don’t know what might have happened if I’d just showed up as originally scheduled.”

The actress added: “I am appalled for all the women being told these occurrences are in any way their fault. No more Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood does not solve the problem but maybe the more voices sharing their stories and adding support to the countless women and men who have suffered through abuse of power, the less it will be tolerated.”

Related: Stars at Court

As previously reported, Weinstein checked into treatment for sex addiction amid allegations of sexual harassment detailed in two investigative pieces from The New York Times and The New Yorker. Following the publication of the stories, many other actresses, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan and Kate Beckinsale, have come forward with personal accounts of alleged harassment or abuse from Weinstein, who has denied rape allegations against him.

“Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” Weinstein’s spokesperson Sallie Hofmeister said in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 10. “Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”

Weinstein’s wife of 10 years, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, announced on October 10 that she was leaving him amid the allegations. Two days earlier, the Weinstein Company announced that Harvey was fired, telling Us Weekly in a statement: “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar— have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately.” 

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