CNN pulled episodes of the late Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” show because they included Asia Argento, an actress who was dating Bourdain at the time of his death who has now been accused of sexually assaulting a male actor.
Argento was accused in August of having sexually assaulted then-17-year-old actor Jimmy Bennett in 2013. While Argento denied the accusations, pictures emerged of the two in bed together. Argento had been a leading voice in starting the #MeToo movement, having been a major accuser against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Now, CNN Go has decided to take down episodes of “Parts Unknown” in which she made cameos, Buzzfeed reported Saturday.
Bourdain and Argento met during the show’s filming and were dating at the time of Bourdain’s death. Now, many are asking what Argento’s allegations mean for the future of the #MeToo movement. (RELATED: #MeToo Movement Makes Changing Areas More Private For Fashion Week)
“People will use these recent news stories to try and discredit this movement — don’t let that happen. This is what Movement is about,” #MeToo founder Tarana Burke wrote on Twitter. (RELATED: #MeToo Leader Allegedly Paid Off A Man She Sexually Assaulted)
People will use these recent news stories to try and discredit this movement – don’t let that happen. This is what Movement is about. It’s not a spectator sport. It is people generated. We get to say “this is/isn’t what this movement is about!”
— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) August 20, 2018
Burke also noted the #MeToo movement is for everyone and praised the “brave young men who are now coming forward,” in a Twitter post.
I’ve said repeatedly that the #metooMVMT is for all of us, including these brave young men who are now coming forward. It will continue to be jarring when we hear the names of some of our faves connected to sexual violence unless we shift from talking about individuals [+]
— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) August 20, 2018
Argento allegedly sexually assaulted her former costar Bennett in a hotel room under similar circumstances of her allegations against Weinstein. The #MeToo activist then paid Bennett $380,000 to stay mum about the alleged incident. She previously played Bennett’s mother in the 2004 film “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.”
Send Tips: anders@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.