Dustin Hoffman accusers pen open letter thanking John Oliver for confronting actor over sexual harassment allegations during live interview
The late-night host questioned the actor about the allegations during a live interview last month
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Your support makes all the difference.The seven women who accused Dustin Hoffman of sexual misconduct have united to pen John Oliver an open letter thanking him for grilling the Hollywood star over his alleged behaviour during a live interview last month.
Addressed to the late-night host, the letter was published to Anna Graham Hunter's Twitter feed accompanied by the signatures of six of Hoffman's other accusers, two of whom have chosen to remain anonymous. Graham Hunter had led the allegations following her THR guest column which accused that the actor of harassment while working as an intern on TV film Death of a Salesman when she was just 18 in 1985.
The open letter arrived in the wake of Oliver's admission that his attempt to question Hoffman about the allegations wasn't as “constructive” as he'd hoped.
Speaking on The Russell Howard Hour, the Last Week Tonight host said: “I just wanted it to become something more constructive, and [it] was clear pretty early on that was not going to happen. I tried. I tried and failed.”
The letter assures Oliver that: “While the questions you asked may not have led to the constructive conversation you hoped, that fact that you asked them at all is what matters most.
“Few men put themselves at risk - socially or professionally - to have uncomfortable conversations with other men,” it continues. “Women can continue to tell our stories, but ultimately, change will depend on men reflecting on their own behaviour and challenging other men to do the same.”
You can read the full open letter below:
Hoffman responded to Hunter's original allegation in November, writing in a statement: “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.”
Oliver later questioned this very response during a live Q&A with the actor: “It’s that part of the response to this stuff that pisses me off,“ he stated. ”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 a creeper 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 spent the remainder of the Q&A attempting to contextualise his behaviour, words which were continually combatted by Oliver.
“You’ve made the case better than anyone else can. I’m guilty. Because someone has alleged something, I’m guilty,“ the Oscar-winner said. ”You push a button. It’s all over the world. I’m a predator. I’m this and that and it’s not true.”
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