Dustin Hoffman's showdown with TV host over sexual harassment claims
Dustin Hoffman got into a heated argument with TV host John Oliver during a public Q&A session after Oliver grilled him about recent sexual harassment allegations made against him.
Last month, Hoffman was accused by Anna Graham-Hunter of sexually harassing her when she was 17 years old in 1985 on the set of the TV movie Death of a Salesman.
Referencing Hoffman’s apology to his former production assistant, Oliver asked, “You’ve made one statement in print — does that feel like enough to you?”
“First of all, it didn’t happen, the way she reported,” the actor said, according to Deadline.
Oliver replied, “It’s that part of the response to this stuff that pisses me off. It is reflective of who you were. You’ve given no evidence to show that it didn’t happen. There was a period of time when you were creeping around women. It feels like a cop-out to say, ‘Well, this isn’t me.’ Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?”
Hoffman responded, “You weren’t there.”
“I’m glad,” Oliver said.
The Q&A was held during an event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hoffman’s film Wag the Dog.
According to Deadline, the panel lasted for roughly an hour and was filled with heated exchanges about the sexual harassment claims throughout.
“You’ve put me on display here,” Hoffman told Oliver. “You have indicted me ... That’s not innocent until proven guilty.”
Reportedly, Hoffman tried to blame the time period for his actions, saying the atmosphere was different when the alleged abuse occurred. However, Oliver did not take this excuse as a sufficient answer.
“I don’t love that answer either,” the British comedian said.
“What response do you want?” Hoffman asked.
“It doesn’t feel self-reflective in the way it seems the incident demands,” replied Oliver. “I get no pleasure from this conversation,” he added. “But you and I are not the victims here.”
Referencing the allegations made against him, Hoffman asked, “Do you believe this stuff you’re reading?”
Oliver responded that he did believe the allegations “because she would have no reason to lie”.
Shortly after a person in the crowd shouted, “Thank you for believing women.”