2 comics and a patron's response to Harvey Weinstein at a New York City bar goes viral
Multiple people confronted Harvey Weinstein face-to-face at a New York City bar Thursday night during a private event and the incident has drawn a huge response online.
One patron and two comediennes, who performed in front of the disgraced movie mogul at a private event through a company called Actors Hour at Downtime Bar in Manhattan, each tackled the palpable tension in their own way.
Comics Amber Rollo and Kelly Bachman both called out Weinstein on stage during their respective sets.
Bachman told ABC News "it was like looking at a shark" when she saw Weinstein was in the crowd.
"Feeling a little tense, anybody else? It's our job to name the elephant in the room, do we know what that is?" she asked the crowd. "Yeah, it's a Freddy Krueger in the room, if you will. I didn't know that we had to bring our own mace and rape whistles to actors hour."
Some people in the crowd audibly booed her comment and Bachman told ABC News she heard someone else yell "shut up."
"When I heard the voice and what sounded like a young man saying 'shut up' in the back of the room, that was the most triggering experience I've had in a long time," Bachman told ABC News.
She also revealed on stage that she was a survivor of sexual assault, "surprisingly by no one in this room, but I never got to confront those guys so just a general f---- you."
Rollo, who shared her own account of what happened afterwards in a lengthy Twitter thread, said someone who yelled about Weinstein being there was "kicked out."
Actress Zoe Stuckless posted a video on Twitter of them confronting Weinstein, who has kept a low profile since multiple women came forward in 2017 with sexual assault allegations against him, which he has denied.
In the video, Stuckless stood in front of Weinstein as he sat in a booth, pointed at him and shouted, "Nobody's going to say anything? Nobody's really going to say anything?"
"I'll get out of here, that's fine, I am happy to leave," Stuckless continued, visibly upset. "I'm going to stand four feet from a f------ rapist and no one is going to say anything?"
Rollo also said she called Weinstein a "monster" and that a woman who was at the table with Weinstein "gently guided me out" after her time on stage.
Downtime Bar wrote a statement on Facebook regarding the incident on Thursday evening and confirmed that one person they identified as "a heckler" was asked to leave.
"A company called Actors Hour rented our bar for a private event, with a guest list all their own. Shortly into the evening, one guest began heckling another, causing a disturbance to everyone in attendance. After several requests to stop were ignored, we kindly asked the heckler to leave," the venue explained in its post.
"Please know that our goal at Downtime is to create an environment where everyone feels welcome. We respect the privacy of our patrons and event partners, and want to ensure that all guests are treated equally, with the same service and respect," Downtime Bar wrote. "In keeping with this goal, we made a decision that would allow the evening to continue as planned."
Downtime Bar did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Actors Hour founder Alexandra Laliberte apologized for how the evening unfolded.
"While I was not prepared to handle a situation with a member of public who is awaiting criminal trial, I did not consider the underlying implications of Mr. Weinstein’s presence and was naively overwhelmed by the entire situation that unfolded," Laliberte told ABC News. "I want to sincerely apologize to any women who were re-traumatized this week at Actors Hour."
She continued, "I am deeply saddened that his presence was not only a trigger point for some attendees, but that some women ultimately felt unsafe, when a safe environment is what I set out to create for the acting community."
Bachman later posted the video of her set to Instagram with the caption, "Was it something I said? Thanks for making sure industry was in the room for my spot."
Weinstein is currently facing charges of "rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women." He has pleaded not guilty and maintains that any sexual encounters were consensual.
A representative for Harvey Weinstein told the Hollywood Reporter, "This scene was uncalled for, downright rude and an example of how due process today is being squashed by the public, trying to take it away in the courtroom too."
Bachman described the entire Weinstein encounter to ABC News as a nightmare situation.
"To me, it felt like this is a monster from your nightmares. I've literally had nightmares about Harvey Weinstein the same way that I have nightmares about 'It,' by Stephen King or Freddy Krueger."
A representative for Harvey Weinstein did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
