CBS Films President Says She’ll Quit Academy If Harvey Weinstein Isn’t Removed

Terry Press calls Weinstein a “sociopathic bully” with “monstrous narcissism”

CBS Films President Terry Press wrote a scathing Facebook post about Harvey Weinstein on Thursday, threatening to leave the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences if the disgraced producer wasn’t removed.

Press said that even those in Hollywood who didn’t know about Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment knew that Weinstein regularly mistreated his employees at Miramax and The Weinstein Company, and demanded that he be rejected by the entire industry. The post was attached to a Vanity Fair article that contained a running count of Weinstein’s accusers, with 29 actresses accusing him of sexual harassment or assault as of midday Thursday.

“If the Academy does not kick him out, I am resigning my Academy membership,” Press wrote. “Maybe its possible that some people did not know about his sick and debased behavior..but what is not possible is for ANYONE to stay they didn’t know he was a sociopathic bully who has always mistreated his employees and staff, displayed monstrous narcissism and cruelty and enjoyed being a sadist.”

“The idea that anyone would give him a second chance or entertain the notion that he can change is beyond absurd,” she added.

In 1998, Weinstein won an Oscar as one of the producers for “Shakespeare in Love,” which famously upset “Saving Private Ryan” to win Best Picture. At the time, Press was the head of marketing for DreamWorks, which distributed “Saving Private Ryan.” The shocking victory for Weinstein sealed his reputation as an aggressive awards campaigner and is regarded as a moment that forever changed the Oscars.

The Academy has called Weinstein’s behavior “repugnant” in a statement released Wednesday, and will hold a special meeting this Saturday to “discuss the allegations against Weinstein and any actions warranted by the Academy.”

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