Former Actress Heather Kerr Accuses Harvey Weinstein of Forcing Himself on Her

Publish date: 2024-05-21

Heather Kerr is the latest actress to come forward and accuse disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.

Kerr, in a news conference with high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, asserted Friday that Weinstein had exposed himself to her and forced himself on her sexually in a private meeting in 1989.

“He asked me if I was good,” Kerr said. “I started to tell him about my training and acting experience and he said, ‘No. I need to know if you’re good.’ He said if he was going to introduce me around town, he needed to know if I was ‘good.’ He kept repeating that word.”

Kerr, who appeared on the shows “The Facts of Life” and “Mama’s Family,” said, while she was sitting on a couch with Weinstein, he unzipped his pants, pulled out his penis, grabbed her hand, forced it onto his organ, and held it there.

Related Stories

A wrecking ball swinging towards an old TV with a TV host on the screen VIP+

Late-Night TV vs. YouTube: Data-Driven Tips on Which Is Better for Celebs Promoting Films

Industry season 3

'Industry' Renewed for Season 4 at HBO

“He said this is how things work in Hollywood and all actresses who’d made it, did it this way,” she added.

Popular on Variety

Kerr said she was “terrified” as a result and quit pursuing a career as an actress shortly after the incident.

“I felt so powerless because he is, after all, very powerful and very well known and very successful,” she said. “I didn’t think anyone would believe me. I was nobody. Why would they?”

Kerr then broke into tears and was consoled by Allred. The news conference took place at Allred’s offices in Los Angeles.

The accusation comes in the wake of two weeks of allegations about sexual harassment and assault, which Weinstein’s attorneys have denied. The Weinstein Company ousted Weinstein from his own studio this month. On Oct. 14, he was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — which Allred strongly endorsed following Kerr’s statements.

“The Motion Picture Academy did the right thing,” she said. “It’s no longer business as usual.”

Allred spoke directly to Weinstein in her remarks at the news conference, saying, “Harvey, you and others like you are done. Women won’t take it anymore. We’re taking our power back and will never allow things to go back to the way they were.”

Allred also represents actress Louisette Geiss, who said in an Oct. 10 news conference at Allred’s offices that Weinstein tried to force her to watch him masturbate while she was pitching a movie at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. Allred’s daughter, Lisa Bloom, was previously advising Weinstein as the revelations came to light. She resigned earlier this month, however, following significant backlash from women’s groups and Allred herself.

Allred said Friday that other women have reached out to her recently with similar accusations, adding that she plans to make another announcement next week in New York City. And she offered this advice to victims of sexual harassment.

“Go to harassment lawyers for confidential consultation,” she said. “The balance of power has shifted in Hollywood. There have been and will be criminal consequences for men who sexually harass women. Women, you are not alone and I will continue to fight for you.”

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKDjp%2BgpaVfo7K4v46hnJqsmJq%2FbrfEq6lmoJGnw6bFjLCcoqajqbKquoygo6iqmZZ6orjLq5ydZWFnfXOBmG5raWlf