Hollywood and the #MeToo movement
How #MeToo reshaped the entertainment and media industry: major cases at studios and networks, lawsuits, criminal trials, and new laws and workplace rules.
52 developments, 2017–2026, oldest first.
2017
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Dozens of women accuse director James Toback of sexual harassment
Following a Los Angeles Times report, 38 women accused writer-director James Toback of sexual harassment spanning decades; he denied the allegations.
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Kevin Spacey accused by Anthony Rapp of advance when Rapp was 14; Spacey apologizes
Actor Anthony Rapp publicly alleged that Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance toward him in 1986, when Rapp was a teenager. Spacey said he did not remember the encounter and apologized.
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Six women accuse director Brett Ratner of sexual harassment and misconduct
A Los Angeles Times report detailed allegations by six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, against director and producer Brett Ratner, who denied them through his attorney.
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Brett Ratner steps away from Warner Bros. projects after allegations
Ratner said he and his RatPac-Dune company would step back from Warner Bros.-related activity, and a planned Hugh Hefner biopic was put on hold.
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Netflix cuts ties with Kevin Spacey, drops him from 'House of Cards'
Netflix said it would no longer work with Kevin Spacey and would not move forward with House of Cards involving him, as further misconduct allegations emerged from people who worked on the show.
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NBC fires 'Today' anchor Matt Lauer over sexual misconduct complaint
NBC News fired longtime Today co-anchor Matt Lauer after a colleague filed a detailed complaint of inappropriate sexual behavior, saying it had reason to believe it was not an isolated incident.
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20th Century Fox fires Bryan Singer as director of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Fox removed Bryan Singer from the Queen biopic mid-production, citing his absences from set, days before a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault was filed. Singer disputed the studio's account.
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Netflix fires Danny Masterson from 'The Ranch' amid rape allegations
Netflix wrote actor Danny Masterson out of The Ranch after several women accused him of rape and alleged the LAPD investigation had stalled. Masterson denied the allegations.
2018
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Hollywood women launch Time's Up initiative and legal defense fund
More than 300 women in entertainment launched Time's Up, an initiative against workplace sexual harassment that included a legal defense fund for workers in many industries.
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Warner Bros. declines to renew $450 million co-financing deal with Ratner's RatPac
Warner Bros. let its co-financing agreement with RatPac Entertainment expire and said it had no plans to work with Ratner again.
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NBC internal review of Lauer finds no evidence news leadership knew of misconduct
An NBC Universal internal investigation concluded that senior news executives were not aware of complaints about Matt Lauer before November 2017 and found no culture of harassment, a finding critics questioned because it was not independent.
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New Yorker reports misconduct allegations against CBS chief Les Moonves
A Ronan Farrow investigation reported that six women accused CBS chief executive Les Moonves of sexual harassment or intimidation and described a wider culture of misconduct at CBS; the board said it would investigate. Moonves acknowledged past advances but denied misusing his position.
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New allegations against Les Moonves emerge in second New Yorker report
A follow-up report detailed accounts from six additional women accusing Les Moonves of sexual misconduct, as CBS negotiated his exit.
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Les Moonves resigns as CBS chairman and CEO
Les Moonves stepped down from CBS hours after new allegations were published; CBS and Moonves pledged $20 million to groups supporting the #MeToo movement, deducted from any severance.
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California bans secret settlements in sexual harassment and assault cases
Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 820 and other #MeToo-era bills, barring confidentiality provisions that hide facts about sexual assault and harassment in settlement agreements.
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CBS denies Les Moonves $120 million severance after board investigation
The CBS board concluded after an outside investigation that it had grounds to fire Les Moonves for cause, including willful failure to cooperate, and denied him a $120 million severance package.
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Kevin Spacey charged with indecent assault in Nantucket case
Massachusetts prosecutors charged Kevin Spacey with felony indecent assault and battery over a 2016 encounter with an 18-year-old at a Nantucket bar. Spacey denied the charge.
2019
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Atlantic investigation details new sexual abuse allegations against Bryan Singer
An investigation by The Atlantic reported allegations from several men who said Bryan Singer sexually abused them when they were teenagers. Singer called the report a homophobic smear and denied the claims.
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Bryan Singer agrees to $150,000 settlement of sexual assault lawsuit
Bryan Singer agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old at a 2003 party, in a settlement reached through bankruptcy proceedings. Singer continued to deny wrongdoing.
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Massachusetts prosecutors drop sexual assault case against Kevin Spacey
The Cape and Islands district attorney dropped the indecent assault charge against Kevin Spacey after the accuser declined to testify amid a dispute over his missing phone.
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Masterson accusers sue Danny Masterson and Church of Scientology over alleged stalking
Four women who had accused Danny Masterson of rape filed a civil suit alleging Scientology members stalked and harassed them after they reported him to police. Masterson and the church denied the claims.
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Matt Lauer accused of rape by former NBC colleague in Farrow book
A former NBC News employee whose 2017 complaint led to Matt Lauer's firing alleged in Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill that Lauer raped her in 2014. Lauer denied the allegation, saying the encounter was consensual.
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Los Angeles prosecutors decline Kevin Spacey case after accuser's death
The Los Angeles County district attorney declined to file a sexual battery case against Kevin Spacey because the masseur who accused him had died.
2020
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SAG-AFTRA issues industry standards for intimacy coordinators
The actors' union released standards and protocols for intimacy coordinators to oversee nude and simulated sex scenes, part of its response to on-set harassment.
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Danny Masterson charged with raping three women
The Los Angeles County district attorney charged Danny Masterson with three counts of rape involving incidents between 2001 and 2003. Masterson pleaded not guilty.
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Anita Hill-led Hollywood Commission survey finds harassment persists
A survey by the Hollywood Commission found that many entertainment workers still experience harassment and that most doubt perpetrators will be held accountable.
2021
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Time's Up CEO resigns amid fallout over Cuomo scandal
Tina Tchen stepped down as Time's Up chief executive after reports that group leaders had advised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's team as he faced harassment allegations.
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California's Silenced No More Act widens limits on workplace NDAs
California enacted SB 331, extending the ban on nondisclosure provisions in settlements beyond sexual harassment to all forms of workplace harassment and discrimination.
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Kevin Spacey ordered to pay $31 million to 'House of Cards' producer over firing losses
Court filings showed an arbitrator ordered Kevin Spacey to pay about $31 million to MRC, finding he breached his contract's harassment policies and caused losses when the studio rewrote House of Cards.
2022
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Appeals court revives Masterson accusers' harassment suit against Scientology
A California appeals court reversed an order sending the women's harassment claims to Scientology religious arbitration, allowing their lawsuit against the church and Masterson to proceed in court.
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Paramount and Moonves agree to $14.75 million settlement with CBS shareholders
Paramount Global and Les Moonves agreed to pay $14.75 million to settle a securities class action alleging CBS misled investors about its handling of misconduct allegations against Moonves.
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Kevin Spacey charged in UK with sexual assault of three men
The Crown Prosecution Service authorized four sexual assault charges against Kevin Spacey involving three men in incidents from 2005 to 2013; further charges were added later. Spacey denied the allegations.
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Jury finds Kevin Spacey not liable in Anthony Rapp lawsuit
A federal civil jury in Manhattan found Anthony Rapp had not proven that Kevin Spacey touched him sexually in 1986, rejecting his $40 million claim.
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CBS and Moonves to pay $30.5 million to resolve New York attorney general probe
The New York attorney general said CBS executives worked to conceal assault allegations against Les Moonves, including tips from an LAPD captain, while Moonves sold stock; CBS, Paramount and Moonves agreed to pay $30.5 million, most of it to shareholders, and adopt reforms.
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Danny Masterson rape trial ends in mistrial after jury deadlocks
A Los Angeles judge declared a mistrial after jurors could not reach unanimous verdicts on any of the three rape counts against Danny Masterson; prosecutors said they would retry him.
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Five women sue Bill Cosby and NBCUniversal under New York's Adult Survivors Act
Five women, including former Cosby Show actors Lili Bernard and Eden Tirl, sued Cosby and accused NBCUniversal and production companies of negligence; Cosby denied the allegations.
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38 women sue James Toback and the Harvard Club under Adult Survivors Act
Dozens of women filed suit in New York alleging sexual misconduct by Toback over decades and naming the Harvard Club as a defendant.
2023
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Time's Up halts operations and shifts resources to legal defense fund
Time's Up said it would cease operations and lay off staff, transferring remaining funds to its legal defense fund after a period of turmoil.
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California law opens three-year window for adult survivors' time-barred claims
AB 2777, effective Jan. 1, 2023, revived expired civil claims by adult sexual assault survivors against entities alleged to have covered up abuse, through 2026.
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Jury selection begins in Danny Masterson rape retrial
Danny Masterson's retrial on three rape counts began in Los Angeles, with the judge again permitting limited testimony about the Church of Scientology.
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Danny Masterson convicted of two counts of rape at retrial
A Los Angeles jury convicted Danny Masterson of raping two women and deadlocked on a third count. He was taken into custody.
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Kevin Spacey acquitted on all sexual offense charges in London
A Southwark Crown Court jury found Kevin Spacey not guilty of nine sexual offense charges brought by four men dating to 2001-2013.
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Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison
A Los Angeles judge sentenced Danny Masterson to 30 years to life for two rape convictions after victims gave impact statements in court.
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Wave of celebrity abuse lawsuits filed before Adult Survivors Act window closes
Lawsuits against entertainment figures including Axl Rose and Jamie Foxx were filed as New York's one-year lookback window expired; the defendants denied the claims.
2024
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Hollywood Commission finds culture shift but weak accountability seven years after Weinstein
A new Hollywood Commission survey found workers more aware of harassment and reporting options but still skeptical that powerful offenders face consequences.
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Les Moonves to pay Los Angeles ethics fine over interference in police probe
Les Moonves agreed to pay $11,250 to resolve a Los Angeles Ethics Commission complaint that he induced a retired LAPD captain to share confidential details of a 2017 sexual assault report against him.
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Drake Bell to reveal childhood abuse by Nickelodeon dialogue coach in 'Quiet on Set'
Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell said he would publicly identify himself as the victim of dialogue coach Brian Peck, convicted in 2004, in the docuseries examining alleged toxic conditions on Nickelodeon sets.
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Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider apologizes after 'Quiet on Set' backlash
Schneider released a video apologizing for some workplace behavior depicted in the series while not admitting to sexual misconduct.
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Dan Schneider sues 'Quiet on Set' producers for defamation
Schneider sued Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony and the docuseries producers, alleging the series falsely implied he sexually abused children.
2025
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Jury awards $1.68 billion to 40 women who accused James Toback of sexual abuse
A Manhattan civil jury found Toback liable and awarded about $1.68 billion in damages to 40 women in the Adult Survivors Act case; he did not participate in the trial.
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Danny Masterson asks court to overturn rape convictions over attorney errors
Danny Masterson filed a habeas petition arguing his trial lawyers were ineffective and asking that his convictions and sentence be vacated.
2026
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Appeals court tosses Dan Schneider's 'Quiet on Set' defamation suit
A California appellate panel unanimously ruled for the docuseries' makers under the anti-SLAPP law, finding the show did not defamatorily imply Schneider abused children.