Harvey Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan speaks out: ‘Name it, shame it, call it out’

The Charmed star tells a rally in Detroit she was “silenced for 20 years” as she thanks supporters for standing by her.

Actress Rose McGowan has called for women to name and shame sexual abusers after speaking publicly for the first time since she accused Harvey Weinstein of rape.

The 44-year-old told a rally on Friday that she had been “silenced for 20 years”, adding it was now time for women to “amplify each others’ voices” in exposing harassers.

Speaking at The Women’s Convention in Detroit, she thanked the crowd for their support in a “very difficult time”, saying she has had to endure seeing “the monster’s face everywhere”.

McGowan, best known for her role in the TV series Charmed, tweeted that she had been raped by the producer after The New York Times published an investigation detailing allegations of sexual harassment against Weinstein.

Dozens of women have now made allegations against him, triggering police investigations in London, New York and Los Angeles.

The actress said: “I’ve been silenced for 20 years, I’ve been slut-shamed, I’ve been harassed, I’ve been maligned, and you know what I’m just like you because what happened to me behind the scenes happens to all of us in this society and that cannot stand and it will not stand.

“I came to be a voice for all of us who have been told we are nothing, for all of us who have been looked down on, for all of us who have been grabbed by the m*****-f****** p****.

“No more. Name it, shame it, call it out. Join me, join all of us as we amplify each others’ voices and we do what is right for us and our for sisters and for this planet.”

The New York Times reported that Weinstein paid McGowan a $100,000 (£76,000) settlement in 1997 to “avoid litigation and buy peace” over an incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.

McGowan also attacked Hollywood for overwhelmingly employing men as directors.

She said: “I know the men behind that view and they should not be in your mind and they should not be in mine. It’s time to clean the house.”

The actress, who also starred in Planet Terror and Scream, thanked people for using the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter to call out abusers.

Harvey Weinstein has denied allegations of non-consensual sex
She added: “I want to thank you for being here, for giving me wings during this very difficult time, the triggering has been insane, the monster’s face everywhere, my nightmare, but I know I’m not alone.”

Weinstein, 65, has “unequivocally denied” allegations of non-consensual sex and is suing his former company to gain access to emails he claims will “exonerate” him.