The year 2017 started with a new President, one who admitted himself to committing sexual assault. But he called it “locker room” talk — so it was mostly overlooked.
The problem: his behavior seemed to have become the norm of 2017. While this issue became prominent in the news this year with more and more powerful men being acknowledged as sexual predators, sexual assault has always been and will be a problem.
Sexual assault is defined by the Department of Justice as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” Sexual harassment, on the other hand, is “offensive remarks about a person’s sex, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors,” according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Unlike sexual assault, which is a criminal behavior, sexual harassment is a civil rights issue.
The term, sexual harassment didn’t come about until 1975 by Cornell University, according to the National Organization for Women (NOW) website. It took until 1991 to amend the Civil Rights Act to allow “victims a jury trial when seeking compensatory and punitive damages under Title VII.”
Lately, people like Matt Damon may believe we have to talk more about the men who don’t commit these appalling crimes, but it is important to discuss. There needs to be an end to this behavior. And it starts with the men who committed them in the first place. They should take the blame properly, unlike these 13 people whose sexual assault apologies didn’t feel like an apology.
1. Al Franken
Franken, who was a comedian and now serves as a United States Senator from Minnesota, was accused of kissing and groping Anchorwoman Leeann Tweeden in 2006 without her consent.
.@alfranken: “The first thing I want to do is apologize” pic.twitter.com/U6BWpzaPVM
— Alex Rogers (@arogDC) November 16, 2017
“I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann,” Franken said to reporters. “As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.”
Franken seems to contradict himself a few times throughout his statement. He said he believes Leeann, but at the same time he doesn’t remember it the same way. He also stated that he respects women and doesn’t respect men who don’t.
2. Ben Affleck
Affleck, American actor and film director, was accused of sexual harassment by fellow-actress Hilarie Burton in 2003.
Affleck started his interview with Late Show host Steven Cobert by denouncing his work-companion Harvey Weinstein’s (see later on the list) allegations.
But when Colbert shot back with the actor’s own allegations, Affleck made the issue seem more of an everybody-does-this problem.
“It’s just the kind of thing that we have to as men, I think—as we become more aware of this—be really, really mindful of our behavior and hold ourselves accountable…” Affleck said.
Affleck even added a reference to his movie-persona, Batman, in his apology.
“I’m not a spokesman. I’m not a superhero. I can’t change it by myself,” he said.
3. Charlie Rose
Rose, who hosted and produced his self-titled talk show and co-anchored CBS This Morning, was accused by eight women of sexual harassment.
My statement in full. pic.twitter.com/3kvFrqF2dT
— Charlie Rose (@charlierose) November 20, 2017
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too,” Rose said in his apology statement. “All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”
Rose claimed to have been “an advocate” of women and their careers in the past.
Exposing yourself and groping doesn’t seem like the right way to be a supporter, but at least he now has a new respect for women.
4. George HW Bush
Former President Bush was accused of groping six women.
“At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures,” Bush’s spokesman said in a statement.
Being confined to a wheelchair is understandable. His hand would go around people’s waists when he takes photos. But then the spokesman continued.
“[H]e has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner,” the spokesmen said.
It’s a photo, not a football game, President Bush.
5. Harvey Weinstein
Film producer Weinstein was fired from his own company when he was accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow.
But Weinstein didn’t take the blame, instead he said it was the norm.
“I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different,” Weinstein said. “That was the culture then.”
This is when parents would ask ‘If your friends jumped off a bridge would you?’
“I so respect all women,” Weinstein said, even though if any of his victims had spoken up sooner he could have easily ended their careers.
6. James Toback
Toback, screenwriter and film director, was accused of sexual misconduct.
“And anyone who says it is a lying c***sucker or a c*** or both,” Toback said to Rolling Stones. “By the way, no one who’s ever worked with me would ever say anything like that.”
Well over three hundred women did say that.
When Rolling Stones reporter mentioned names of Toback’s victims, he said he never heard of them and that they were lying.
“I mean, these are people I don’t know, and it’s things I never would have done.”
Toback continued that he believed the women “gang up.”
7. Kevin Spacey
Spacey, former actor in House of Cards, was accused of “inappropriate behavior” by at least 20 people.
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) October 30, 2017
“I’m beyond horrified to hear his [Anthony Rapp’s] story,” Spacey said. “I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago.”
Spacey used his apology statement as a time to come out.
“I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man,” Spacey said.
He made it seem as if sexually assaulting then-teenager Rapp was ok because Spacey is gay.
8. Louis C.K.
Comedian C.K. admitted to masturbating in front of young women.
“At the time, I said to myself that what I did was O.K. because I never showed a woman my d*** without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d*** isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them,” C.K. said in his apology statement.
C.K. seemed to have blamed society, almost like Weinstein. However, C.K. was targeting the social dynamics instead of norms.
“The power I had over these women is that they admired me,” C.K. said.
I can assure you, C.K., that they don’t admire you now.
9. Mario Batali
Chef and Restaurant Owner Mario Batali faced allegations of touching women inappropriately.
Batali admitted that he had made mistakes.
“I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team,” Batali said. “I take full responsibility.”
But the kicker is that he added a cinnamon bun recipe at the end of his apology statement.
“p.s. in case you’re searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite,” Batali said.
I, for one, like my cinnamon rolls without a side of sexual assault.
10. Matt Lauer
Lauer, who was a co-host of the Today Show, was accused of multiple sexual harassments.
“The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws,” Lauer said in his apology statement. “It’s been humbling.”
After gifting sex toys and putting a button in his dressing room to lock the door without getting up, Lauer now sees the flaws.
“Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul searching, and I’m committed to beginning that effort,” Lauer said. “It is now my fulltime job.”
And that makes sense because Lauer was fired by NBC.
11. Roy Moore
Moore, who ran in Alabama for Senate, was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment when they were as young as 14-years-old.
“These allegations are completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and The Washington Post on this campaign,” Moore said.
Sexual harassment is not a party-affiliated problem. It has affected both sides of the aisle.
But Moore still never admitted to the allegations, and Trump even supported him (this coming from the locker room talk guy).
“[Y]ou have to listen to him,” Trump said.
12. Russell Simmons
Simmons, co-founder of the hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings, was accused of rape by a model and a screenwriter.
Simmons did admit to being “thoughtless and insensitive” in some of his relationships in the past.
But since Simmons took a lie detector test to disprove the allegations, according to TMZ. Michael Sterling and E. Carlos Tanner, Simmons’s attorneys said he passed the test and plans to repeat for the other accusations.
“I never thought I was violent,” Simmons said in his statement.
13. TJ Miller
Miller, comedian and actor in Silicon Valley, was accused of sexual assault and punching a female college peer.
Miller and his wife said the “rumors” started when their “relationship became public.” Miller not only denied the claims, but he also put the women’s allegations as disrespectful against the #MeToo movement.
“Sadly she is now using the current climate to bandwagon and launch these false accusations again,” Miller and Gorney wrote. “It is unfortunate that she is choosing this route as it undermines the important movement to make women feel safe coming forward about legitimate claims against real known predators.”
If we truly want to create an environment where victims and survivors can continue to come forward and share their stories, we need to start by challenging powerful people who excuse and dismiss their actions (even in the form of one of these not-apology apologies.)