Actress and activist Alyssa Milano accused the media of using allegations against Italian actress Asia Argento to “undermine” and “discredit” the #MeToo movement.
Milano told Hill.TV that some people found the the allegations surrounding Argento “obviously very confusing,” and she blamed the media for its coverage of the story.
Argento was one of the first women to publicly accuse Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, and she was recently accused of sexually assaulting then-underage actor Jimmy Bennett. She has denied the allegations against her.
“I think the media has done a really good job at sort of jumping on top of the #MeToo movement at every single opportunity they have gotten to undermine and discredit what we’ve all been fighting for,” Milano told Hill.TV co-host Buck Wild during an interview that aired Monday.
She criticized publications like The New York Times and Los Angeles Times for putting #MeToo in the headline when writing about the recent allegations against Argento.
Milano added that the media has consistently planted “a seed of doubt” surrounding the movement. She pointed to actor Aziz Ansari as an example of the media’s efforts to question the legitimacy of the cause.
In January, an unnamed photographer accused Ansari of sexual misconduct after she went on a date with the comedian. She said Ansari made her feel uncomfortable, calling it the worst night of her life.
Ansari later said he was unaware of how she felt at the time, but took her accusations “to heart,” sparking a larger debate about consent.
Milano said the controversy with Ansari ended up helping the movement in the long run because it cleared up a “gray area” that needed to define “what is acceptable behavior and what is not.”
But ultimately our society needs to address the “systemic social issue that goes back to high school,” she said.
“We really have to change the mentality of what gender equality means and how we treat each other – and that’s women and men,” Milano said.
— Tess Bonn
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