30 Rock joke referenced Harvey Weinstein allegations in 2012
The quips take on a new light in the wake of mounting allegations against the film producer
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Your support makes all the difference.As the allegations of sexual assault and harassment against film producer Harvey Weinstein mount, many are highlighting an old episode of comedy series 30 Rock which seemed to foreshadow the scandal.
Created by and starring Tina Fey, the sitcom's sixth and seventh seasons contained references to Weinstein's inappropriate behaviour - jokes which have taken on a new light in the wake of increasing accusations against the former studio executive.
It's the character of Jenna (Jane Krakowski) who utters the references, initially revealing she had “turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions."
In season seven's tenth episode - written by Tom Ceraulo & Matt Hubbard - Jenna says: "Look, I get it. I know how former lovers can have a hold of you long after they're gone. In some ways, I'm still pinned under a passed-out Harvey Weinstein and it's Thanksgiving."
Many are pointing out HBO series Entourage which featured a Weinstein-inspired character named Harvey Weingard (Maury Chaykin) who was portrayed as sleazy and ill-tempered.
Another joke which seemed to hint at Weinstein's behaviour came via Seth MacFarlane at the 2013 Oscar nominations announcement.
Standing alongside Emma Stone, he presented the nominees of Best Supporting Actress, quipping: “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.”
Two separate investigations into the decades-worth of allegations faced by Weinstein surfaced in The New York Times and The New Yorker over the past week inspiring numerous Hollywood stars - including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie - to come forward with their unsettling experiences with the producer.
The latter exposé features three accusations of rape.
However, one Hollywood star has leaped to Weinstein's defence - Mean Girls actor Lindsay Lohan posted a bizarre series of Instagram videos in which she described what was happening to him as “very wrong.”
The producer - whose wife Georgina Chapman announced today (11 October) she is to separate from him - was fired from his position at the Weinstein Company in the wake of the allegations.
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