A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT AND IN SOME INSTANCES, EVEN RAPE SINCE 2001 HAS FINALLY
BEEN BLACKLISTED FROM SOME OF THE LARGEST FASHION MAGAZINES
IN THE COUNTRY.
NOW THIS PHOTOGRAPHER IS TERRY RICHARDSON AND I AM GOING TO GO
INTO SOME OF THE UNFORTUNATE DETAILS OF THE ACCUSATIONS
AGAINST HIM, BUT RECENTLY, THERE WAS AN EMAIL LEAKED TO THE
PRESS THAT WAS WRITTEN BY THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF COND…
NAST.
COND…
NAST OWNS A NUMBER OF THESE HUGE FASHION MAGAZINES
AND ESSENTIALLY, THE EMAIL SAID WE SHOULD PROBABLY DROP THIS
GUY AND DO SO IMMEDIATELY.
LET ME GET TO THE DETAILS.
JAMES WILLHOUSE IS THE EXECUTIVE I WAS SPEAKING OF
AND HE IS OF COURSE THE HEAD OF COND…
NAST INTERNATIONAL, THE
PARENT COMPANY WHICH PUBLISHES EDITIONS OF MAGAZINE SUCH AS
VOUGE, THE VANITY FAIR, GQ, AND GLAMOUR.
HE SENT AN EMAIL TO HIS STAFF INFORMING THEM TO TERMINATE
ALL FUTURE WORK CONTRACTS WITH RICHARDSON.
BEFORE I GET TO THE EMAIL AND THE WORDING OF IT, KEEP IN MIND
THAT THESE ACCUSATIONS HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE 2001 AND IT WASN'T
UNTIL NOW, 2017, 16 YEARS LATER THAT THEY HAVE DECIDED TO
TERMINATE ALL CONTRACTS WITH TERRY RICHARDSON AND OF COURSE,
THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS
RECENTLY.
WITH HARVEY WEINSTEIN AND ALSO BILL O'REILLY AND SO IT IS
FASCINATING HOW THEY ARE WILLING TO ACT AS SOON AS THEY REALIZE
THAT IT MIGHT HURT THEIR BRAND.
THE ROGER AILE'S ACCUSATIONS GO BACK DECADES.
BILL COSBY GOES BACK DECADES.
BILL O'REILLY GOES BACK A LONG TIME, SIX DIFFERENT
SETTLEMENTS, ETC.
BUT IN TERRY RICHARDSON'S CASE, A LOT OF IT WAS PUBLIC.
WITH LARGE RAILS, WE DIDN'T KNOW.
THE SETTLEMENTS HAVE BEEN HELPING BEHIND-THE-SCENES.
WITH COSBY, SOME NEW BUT MOST PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW.
SAME THING WITH WEINSTEIN.
HERE THE ACCUSATIONS WERE VERY PUBLIC FOR AT LEAST THREE
YEARS AND THEY ARE LIKE NO, BUT WE ARE STILL MAKING MONEY SO
WE ARE OKAY AND NOW IT IS LIKE, IT HAS TIPPED OVER WHERE IT
MIGHT COST US MONEY SO OKAY, RIGHT, MORALS.
THAT IS WHAT WE MEANT.
AND TERRY RICHARDSON ALSO PHOTOGRAPHED MORE THAN
CELEBRITIES.
HE DID A PHOTO SHOOT WITH OBAMA, WITH OPRAH WINFREY, WITH ALL
SORTS OF PEOPLE AND SO HE WAS POWERFUL.
INCREDIBLY POWERFUL WITHIN THE PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY.
YOU KNOW I HAVE GREAT DISDAIN FOR THE FASHION INDUSTRY ANYWAY.
WOW, HE TAKES PICTURES OF PEOPLE NEXT TO A WHITE WALL.
TANTALIZING, WOW.
AMAZING.
BUT THIS WHOLE IDEA, EVERY STORY IS TALKING ABOUT OBAMA.
IT
ALMOST SEEMS LIKE HARVEY WEINSTEIN GAVE MONEY TO
DEMOCRATS AND AILES AND O'REILLY, THE REPUBLICANS
APOLOGIZE TO THEM.
THIS DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS.
HOW THE HELL WOULD OBAMA IN 2007 KNOW WHEN HE TOOK THIS PICTURE.
YOU HAVE TO CHECK THE RESUME GO BEYOND AND FIND ALLEGATIONS
AGAINST ANYONE WHO TAKES HER PICTURE?
THAT IS MENTAL.
LET'S STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT IMMEDIATELY.
BY THE WAY I ONLY MENTION THAT BECAUSE OF HOW POWERFUL
TERRY RICHARDSON WAS.
EVERYONE IS BRINGING IT UP.
I GET IT.
IT'S NOT LIKE OBAMA WAS COMPLICIT IN ANY OF THIS OR
EVEN KNEW ABOUT ANY OF THIS NEEDED THE PHOTO SHOOT.
ANYWAY, MOVING ON.
THE EMAIL THAT WAS LEAKED TO THE PRESS SAID THE FOLLOWING:
OKAY, GREAT.
FINALLY THEY ARE ACTING ON WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PRESSURING THEM
TO ACT ON FOR A LONG TIME NOW FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE
WONDERING WHAT ARE THESE ALLEGATIONS?
LET'S GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2001 AND THIS WAS AN ALLEGATION
BY ONE OF THE MODELS THAT HE HAD DONE A PHOTO SHOOT WITH.
HERE'S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY.
BY THE WAY, THE OTHER MAN WHO SHE WAS ALLEGEDLY ASKED TO DO
A SEX ACT ON WAS ONE OF RICHARDSON'S FRIEND, NOT A
MODEL OR ANYTHING.
WHAT A COINCIDENCE.
THERE WERE ALSO SOME ISSUES WITH IMAGES HE HAD TAKEN
ALTHOUGH HE CLAIMS THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSENSUAL.
THAT IS VERY CLASSY.
BACK IN 2014 THAT WAS ANOTHER MODEL WHO ACCUSED HIM OF
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.
SHE WAS ONLY IDENTIFIED AS ANNA.
SHE SAID:
FINALLY I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH A QUOTE.
HERE'S WHAT HE SAID IN REGARD TO
MODELS WHO WERE TRYING TO MAKE IT
IN THE INDUSTRY.
I WONDER IF HE DID IT, I CAN'T QUITE TELL.
HIS EXCUSE NOW IS I COLLABORATED WITH FULLY CONSENSUAL WOMEN
WHO KNEW THE NATURE OF THIS WORK.
AGAIN, SOME OF THE ARTICLES TALK ABOUT HE TOOK EXPLICIT FASHION
PICTURES.
NOBODY CARES ABOUT THAT.
I DON'T CARE IF YOU SUPPORT PICTURES.
ALL I CARE ABOUT IS ARE THEY CONSENTING OR NOT?
AND SO PEOPLE CAME IN AND THEY WANTED TO TAKE RACY PICTURES,
GREAT, TAKE THEM.
YOU WANT TO TAKE THEM, PORN PICTURES, GO.
I'M NOT THE RIGHT WING, I DON'T BELIEVE IN BIG GOVERNMENT
GETTING BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PICTURE.
ON THE OTHER HAND IF YOU ARE GOING AROUND WITHOUT ASKING
WOMEN AND ALL THE SUDDEN DOING WHAT YOU DESCRIBE, I DO NOT
WANT TO REPEAT IT, GET THAT IS CLEARLY NONCONSENSUAL.
YOU CANNOT SAY YOU WERE IN THE FASHION BUSINESS, YOU SHOULD
EXPECT IT IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN FASHION.
A MAN IS GOING TO HAVE A PENIS INTO YOUR FACE.
NO, THAT IS NOT COLLABORATION.
THEY DO NOT AGREE TO THAT AND I THINK THAT HE JUST FEELS
ENTITLED.
I WORK IN FASHION, WE ARE SCUMBAGS.
BY THE WAY, I'M NOT SAYING THAT, I HAVE DISDAIN FOR THE SO-CALLED
ART IN A LOT OF FASHION, BUT I HOPE HE IS AN OUTLIER.
BUT
HIS WAY OF THINKING IS, IF YOU
WANT TO WORK IN FASHION, YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT TO GROSS MEN LIKE
ME WHO WILL THEN WRITE SLUT ON
YOUR FOREHEAD AFTER I HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF YOU AS AN
INTERN AND EVEN IF THAT ONE WAS CONSENSUAL, THEN I WILL
HUMILIATE YOU AFTERWARD AND THEN I WILL BRAG PUBLICLY ABOUT HOW
I FORCED YOU GUYS AND ORAL SEX, OTHERWISE, I WOULDN'T HAVE
GIVEN YOU A JOB AND HE WOULD'VE HAD A CAREER.
THIS IS NOT A COMPLICATED CASE AND IT TOOK UNTIL NOW TO FIRE
HIM?
LOOK, THE REASON WHY I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE CRITICIZED FOR
NOT FIRING HIM EARLIER IS
BECAUSE HE HAD THAT ATTITUDE BECAUSE HE WAS EMBOLDENED BY
THE FACT THAT HE NEVER SUFFERED ANY CONSEQUENCES.
THERE WERE NEVER ANY RAMIFICATIONS FOR HIS ACTIONS
AND SO WHEN YOU SEND THAT MESSAGE TO SOMEONE LIKE THIS,
NOT ONLY WILL HE CONTINUE DOING IT, HE WILL DO IT MORE
BRACINGLY AND THAT IS WHAT IT APPEARED TO BE.
THAT IS HOW HE APPEARED TO BEHAVE.
NOT EVEN BEHIND-THE-SCENES, JUST OPENLY WITH NO REMORSE
WHATSOEVER.
YOU CAN'T SEND WOMEN TO A PHOTO SHOOT WITH HIM AND NOT
GIVE THEM A WARNING.
I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY DO IF IT IS CONSENSUAL.
DON'T CARE BUT YOU CAN'T SEND AN UNSUSPECTING WOMAN WHOSE
CAREER DEPENDS ON THIS AND HE IS A POWERFUL PHOTOGRAPHER WHICH
IS ABSURD ANYWAY, BUT FINE.
THEIR CAREER DEPENDS ON IT.
YOU KNOW IT.
HE IS PUBLICLY SAID I WILL NOT GIVE THEM ANYTHING UNLESS THEY
PERFORM ORAL SEX ON ME AND YOU SEND THEM IN ANY WAY.
I THINK WE HAD NO IDEA, MAYBE YOU COULD THINK ñ
I THINK IT'S WEIRDLY NAœVE OF US.
I'M 47 AND I'M STILL THIS NIGHT EVEN THE YEAR 2017
THAT I'M SHOCKED BY THIS.
IF YOU TOLD ME THERE WAS A CASTING COUCH AND HOLLYWOOD IN
THE 1950S I WOULD SAVE COURSE.
I GET IT.
THERE'S A REASON WHY THAT TERM EXISTS.
DID MEN ABUSE THEIR POWER IN THE 40S, 50S, 60S AND HOLLYWOOD?
I WOULD SAY I IMAGINE SO BUT IN THE YEAR 2015, 2016, 2017, STILL
IN ORDER TO WORK IN MUSIC,
FASHION, MOVIES, NEWS.
NO, IF YOU ARE A WOMAN YOU
MUST GIVE THE POWERFUL MEN
WHAT THEY WANT OTHERWISE YOUR CAREER IS OVER.
JESUS CHRIST.
I AM SO GLAD THAT THE SPOTLIGHT IS BEING PUT ON IT AND THIS IS
WHAT LEADS TO A QUALITY AND NOT THIS ABUSE OF POWER THAT THESE
GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING FOR DECADE AFTER DECADE.
I'M SURE LIKE BILL O'REILLY AND ALL THE REST, HE WILL NOW BE
CRYING ABOUT GOD AND HOW HE IS THE VICTIM AND HIDING BEHIND
OTHER PEOPLE.
OH MY GOD, AFTER I ABUSED ALL OF THOSE WOMEN AND MADE ALL OF
THAT MONEY AND I GOT ALL THAT POWER AND FAME FOR DECADE
AFTER DECADE, NOW AT THE END I HAVE BEEN CAUGHT AND SLIGHTLY
PUNISHED.
BOO-HOO.
TAKE YOUR BOO-HOO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND SEND US A PICTURE OF YOUR
TEARS.
WILL THERE BE A WHILE ON THE BACKGROUND?