At a 20-year anniversary celebration of Wag The Dog yesterday, John Oliver did what John Oliver does best: calling attention to the shitty actions of other men. According to The Washington Post, while moderating a discussion panel, Oliver addressed a sexual harassment accusation made against Dustin Hoffman by Anna Graham Hunter in early November. “This is something we’re going to have to talk about because … it’s hanging in the air,” Oliver said.
A Hollywood Reporter article written by Anna Graham Hunter earlier this month details Hoffman’s inappropriate language and groping on the set of Death Of A Salesman. Then a 17-year old set intern, Hunter also included excerpts from her diary at the time of filming in the article.
In response, Hoffman, who was on the stage with Oliver, said, “Hanging in the air? From a few things you’ve read, you’ve made an incredible assumption about me.” He went on sarcastically, stating “You’ve made the case better than anyone else can. I’m guilty.”
Hoffman had issued a provisional apology shortly after the accusation surfaced. However, on Monday night, he seemed to retract it, stating that he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong and that he had no recollection of meeting Graham Hunter.
The rest of the evening was spent in a stalemate with Hoffman becoming increasingly irate as Oliver continued to refuse his denial of the allegations. Oliver called Hoffman’s responses a dismissal, and his actions similar to that of a “creeper.”
“It’s ‘not reflective of who I am’ — it’s that kind of response to this stuff that pisses me off,” Oliver said. “It is reflective of who you were. If you’ve given no evidence to show it didn’t [happen] then there was a period of time for a while when you were a creeper around women. It feels like a cop-out to say ‘It wasn’t me.’ Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?”
The accusations against Hoffman come as no surprise in the wake of a seemingly never-ending deluge of sexual harassment and assault allegations that are flooding Hollywood and Capitol Hill. Luckily, this one won’t be swept under the rug.
Top Photo of John Oliver via HBO
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