36 Female ‘SNL’ Staffers Support Al Franken Amid Sexual Misconduct Accusations
“We would like to acknowledge that not one of us ever experienced any inappropriate behavior,” women of “SNL” write
Jennifer Maas | November 21, 2017 @ 8:03 AM
Last Updated: November 21, 2017 @ 9:53 AM
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Senator Al Franken may not be getting support from a lot of the female population right now, but at least 36 women have got his back.
Over three dozen women who worked with Franken on “Saturday Night Live” on Tuesday signed a letter of support for the former cast member, who has recently been accused of sexual misconduct by at least two women.
Franken spent 15 years on the series as a writer and performer, and it looks like made a positive impact on many of the women on the show, as they are willing to go to bat for him — publicly.
“We feel compelled to stand up for Al Franken, whom we have all had the pleasure of working with over the years on Saturday Night Live (SNL),” begins the statement. “What Al did was stupid and foolish, and we think it was appropriate for him to apologize to Ms. Tweeden, and to the public.”
“In our experience, we know Al as a devoted and dedicated family man, a wonderful comedic performer, and an honorable public servant,” they continued. “That is why we are moved to quickly and directly affirm that after years of working with him, we would like to acknowledge that not one of us ever experienced any inappropriate behavior; and mention our sincere appreciation that he treated each of us with the utmost respect and regard.”
“We send our support and gratitude to Al and his family this Thanksgiving and holiday season,” the statement concluded.
The letter of support comes less than a week after former model and L.A. radio host Leeann Tweeden came forward to accuse the former comedian of kissing and groping her without consent during a USO tour in 2006.
On Monday, a second accuser, Lindsay Menz, told CNN that Franken grabbed her behind while they were snapping a photo together at the Minnesota State Fare in 2010.
Franken issued an apology after Tweeden’s accusations and an additional statement saying he didn’t remember the incident with Menz, but “felt badly” if she had felt “disrespected” by their interaction.
Hollywood Hair-Trigger: 11 Films and TV Shows Impacted by Sexual Harassment Accusations (Photos)
The downfall of Harvey Weinstein has created a domino effect across Hollywood, as women are coming forward to expose the sexual harassment in the industry. As producers and celebrities are accused, the films and TV shows they were involved in have also suffered. Here's a running list of the projects that have been delayed, paused, or outright axed as a result of these scandals.
"All The Money In The World": After Kevin Spacey was accused of sexually harassing actor Anthony Rapp as a teenager, among others, Sony pulled the historical drama starring him as J. Paul Getty from AFI Fest and then announced that all of Spacey's scenes would be reshot with Christopher Plummer in the role.
"I Love You Daddy": Louis C.K. wrote, starred in, directed, edited and funded this film about a man whose teenage daughter starts dating a 68-year-old director who is Woody Allen in all but name. But after The New York Times published a story in which five women accused him of harassment, The Orchard canceled the film's premiere and is considering changing the release date after buying it in Toronto for $5 million.
HBO: Louis C.K. was also pulled from HBO's charity special "Night of Too Many Stars" following the scandal, and all of the comedian's work has been pulled from HBO's on-demand service.
"House of Cards": In addition to Rapp's claims against Spacey, members of the crew of his hit Netflix show have come forward with stories of Spacey's misconduct. In response, Netflix first paused production on the show's sixth season, which they later announced would be its last. Then, Netflix severed all ties with Spacey, meaning the show will have to finish filming without him.
"Gore": Netflix's decision to drop Spacey means his biopic about Gore Vidal, which explores the writer's relationship with a younger man, is now without a distributor. The film had completed filming and was in the midst of post-production when Spacey was accused.
Untitled Hugh Hefner Biopic: For years, Brett Ratner has held the rights to make a movie about the life of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. But after the LA Times published a story about Ratner's history of harassment, Playboy announced that the biopic was going on hold.
"The Current War": The ongoing Harvey Weinstein scandal has brought his studio, The Weinstein Company, to the verge of bankruptcy. As the remnants of the company fights to stay alive, it has moved all the remaining films on this year's slate to 2018, including a Thomas Edison biopic starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
"Polaroid": The TWC scandal has also affected its genre wing, Dimension Studios, as it pushed this horror film about a camera with deadly powers to 2018 as well.
"Wind River": TWC has even made moves to protect films that have already had their run in theaters. "Wind River," TWC's only box office success this year, has had all trace of the studio's logo scrubbed for the home release.
Amazon David O. Russell Project: The Weinstein Company was supposed to produce a new Amazon series created by "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell, but after they pulled out of the project in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, Amazon decided not to proceed with the series.
"The Romanoffs": TWC was slated to produce this series from "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner, but pulled out after the Weinstein scandal hit. Amazon planned to continue the series, but that may not happen after Weiner was accused of sexual harassment by Kater Gordon, a former assistant of his who was promoted to writer and won an Emmy with him before being shockingly fired a year later.
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From release date changes to full cancellations, Hollywood’s response has become swift
The downfall of Harvey Weinstein has created a domino effect across Hollywood, as women are coming forward to expose the sexual harassment in the industry. As producers and celebrities are accused, the films and TV shows they were involved in have also suffered. Here's a running list of the projects that have been delayed, paused, or outright axed as a result of these scandals.
