'For once he won’t be sitting comfortably': Celebs react to Weinstein verdict

Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted at his sexual assault trial on Monday, and this comes as a watershed moment for the MeToo movement in the entertainment industry. He was found guilty of criminal sex act for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013. The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence.

Welcoming the verdict, many celebrities have been commenting on the landmark verdict that comes almost after two years of struggle and court room drama. “For once he won’t be sitting comfortably,” said actress Rose McGowan, one of Weinstein’s earliest accusers. “For once, he will know what’s its like to have power wrapped around his neck.” McGowan called the verdict “a huge step forward in collective healing.”

“Every one of us who’s come forward, we have a name, we have a history, we have a life,” McGowan said. “We are more than Weinstein. But today because of the brave women who bared their deepest hurts for the world to see, he’s on Rikers Island.”

Actress Ashley Judd thanked all the women who testified in the case. “For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere,” Judd tweeted.

In a joint statement, the "Silence Breakers," a group of women who have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including actresses Judd and Rosanna Arquette said that tiresome legal battle has exposed 'difficulties women face in coming forward to tell the truth about powerful abusers'. "This conviction would not be possible without the testimony of the courageous women and the many women who have spoken out. Despite intimidation from Weinstein’s legal team, they courageously shared their stories with the jury, the courtroom and the world. This has been a flawed process from the beginning but has further exposed the difficulties women face in coming forward to tell the truth about powerful abusers. Their bravery will forever be remembered in history."

Tarana Burke, the activist who kicked off the #MeToo campaign on social media, said in a statement that this case reminds us that sexual violence thrives on unchecked power and privilege. “The implications reverberate far beyond Hollywood and into the daily lives of all of us in the rest of the world. Whether you are an office worker, a nanny, an assistant, a cook, a factory worker— we all have to deal with the spectre of sexual violence derailing our lives,” she wrote.