Weinstein grants first prison interview, denies sexual assault
The 73-year-old film producer, imprisoned at Rikers Island, admitted to deception but rejected allegations of sexual assault in his first media interview since conviction.
March 10, 2026 at 09:30 PM
Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood film producer, granted his first interview since his conviction to The Hollywood Reporter, speaking from Rikers Island prison in New York where he has been held since 2022.
Maer Roshan, editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, conducted the 60-minute conversation with Weinstein in late January, with the interview published March 10. Weinstein, 73, is serving sentences of 16 and 23 years; the second sentence was revoked in April 2024 on procedural grounds, and he is currently serving only the first.
In the interview, Weinstein acknowledged deceiving women but denied committing sexual assault. "I deceived women. That is immoral. But I did not assault them. I am not going to apologize for something I did not do," he stated, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He also described his time at Rikers as "a hell" and expressed fear of dying in prison.
Weinstein admitted to being "a terrible harasser," according to reports of the interview. He expressed hope for kinder treatment and stated he was happy for his ex-wife Georgina Chapman.
The producer has faced multiple health challenges during his incarceration. He suffers from diabetes, spinal stenosis that confines him to a wheelchair most of the time, and has undergone heart surgery and cancer treatment. Due to these conditions, he is housed in a medical unit of the prison, isolated from the general population. For security reasons, he is confined to his cell 23 hours per day.
Weinstein was convicted on charges of sexual assault, rape, and criminal sexual conduct. His case became a focal point of the #MeToo movement, which emerged in late 2017 and brought widespread attention to sexual abuse allegations in Hollywood. He faced approximately 100 accusations from women across multiple legal proceedings and trials.
Before his conviction, Weinstein was a prominent figure in the film industry. His production companies, Miramax and The Weinstein Company, produced films including "Pulp Fiction" (1994), "Good Will Hunting" (1997), "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), and "The King's Speech" (2010).
Weinstein has another court hearing scheduled for April 14. Since his conviction six years ago, he had remained largely silent outside of courtroom proceedings until this interview. The conversation with The Hollywood Reporter was followed by dozens of subsequent phone calls from Rikers in which Weinstein provided additional comments to the journalist.