Two Oscar-winning actors, a Hollywood filmmaker and a senior US news editor are the latest high-profile figures to be accused of sexual harassment.
The actors Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman have been accused of sexual misconduct and have issued apologies.
Meanwhile, six women have accused Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour film series and X-Men: The Last Stand, of sexual harassment or misconduct.
Ratner’s lawyer “categorically” denied all of the accusations on his behalf.
A representative for Spacey released a short statement to the US media, saying the actor “is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment. No other information is available at this time”.
A growing number of allegations have been made against public figures in recent weeks.
The allegations have been sparked by multiple women speaking out against the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and a subsequent campaign encouraging victims to share their stories of sexual harassment under the #metoo hashtag.
Six women have accused Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner of sexual harassment or misconduct.
The women, including The Newsroom actress Olivia Munn, made the allegations in the Los Angeles Times.
Natasha Henstridge, who appeared in Species and The Whole Ten Yards, claimed she had been forced into a sex act with Ratner as a teenager.
The actress, now 43, was a 19-year-old model at the time she alleges Ratner stopped her from leaving a room at his New York apartment and then made her perform a sex act on him.
“He strong-armed me in a real way,” she told the LA Times. “He physically forced himself onto me.”
Ratner’s lawyer “categorically” denied all of the accusations on his behalf in response to the article.
Dustin Hoffman has been accused of sexually harassing an intern on the set of one of his films in 1985.
Anna Graham Hunter, a writer, says that when she was 17, the Oscar-winning actor groped her and made inappropriate comments about sex to her.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: “He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my ass, he talked about sex to me and in front of me.”
Hoffman apologised, and said he was sorry if he “put her in an uncomfortable situation”.
In a statement to the magazine, Hoffman said: “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.”
Senior editor Michael Oreskes has resigned following accusations he kissed female colleagues without their consent during business meetings.
The 63-year-old was asked to step down by the National Public Radio (NPR) network in response to the allegations. He has previously worked for the Associated Press and the New York Times.
Source: BBC
