JOHN OLIVER WAS RECENTLY SPEAKING TO DUSTIN HOFFMAN IN
THE CELEBRATION FOR THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FILM WAG THE
DOG.
DUSTIN HOFFMAN IS AN INDIVIDUAL IN HOLLYWOOD THAT HAS BEEN
ACCUSED BY SEXUAL ASSAULT.
THERE WAS AN INTERN THAT SAID WHEN SHE WAS WORKING ON A FILM
HE ALLEGEDLY SEXUALLY HARASSED HER.
>> SHE ALSO SAID HE MADE INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS AND
GROPED HER.
IT WAS ON THE DEATH OF A SALESMAN TV MOVIE BACK IN 1985.
>> JOHN OLIVER HAD TO ASK DUSTIN HOFFMAN ABOUT IT.
IN FACT HE READ A PORTION OF HER LETTER IN REGARD TO THE
HARASSMENT THAT SHE FACED.
JUST PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DUSTIN HOFFMAN'S REACTION TO IT.
>> I GET NO PLEASURE FROM HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
I READ TODAY A DIARY, SHE WROTE ONE LINE WHICH HAS BEEN
WRAPPED AROUND MY HEAD.
SHE SAID NO ONE IS 100% GOOD OR BAD.
TRUE, DUSTIN IS A PIG BUT I LOVE HIM A LOT.
THAT IS BOTH EXTREMELY GENEROUS AND DAMNING.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE THE STUFF THAT YOU READ?
>>I BELIEVE WHAT SHE WROTE, YES.
>> WHY?
>>BECAUSE THERE IS NO POINT HER LYING.
>>WELL THERE IS A POINT NOT BRINGING THIS UP FOR 40 YEARS.
>> THIS IS A SUPER TOUGH SITUATION AND THEY ARE DOING A
92ND ST.
Y.
THESE ARE USUALLY FLUFFY.
BUT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MOVIES THERE WILL BE INTERESTING
QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVIES BUT IT IS NOT A PLACE WHERE YOU NORMALLY
GET GRILLED.
SOME PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WERE UNCOMFORTABLE.
IT WAS APPARENT THAT ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS WAS VERY
UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE HE TRIED TO STEP IN AND MEDIATE.
DUSTIN HOFFMAN SAID THAT HE DID NOT BARGAIN FOR THIS AND NO
ONE TOLD HIM THESE QUESTIONS WERE GOING TO BE ASKED.
>>WHATEVER.
FIRST OF ALL HE DIDN'T BARGAIN FOR THIS ñ YOU WERE NOT IN THE
BUSINESS OF LETTING JOURNALISTS KNOW OR PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA
ñ YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE WHAT THE QUESTIONS ARE.
WE HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT TONE IN THIS COUNTRY WHERE A LISTERS
IN PUBLIC FIGURES GET TO CURATE EVERY PORTION OF EVERY
INTERVIEW BUT YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ASKED.
OLIVER ACTUALLY ASKED AN IMPORTANT QUESTION AND I THINK
IT WOULD'VE REFLECTED POORLY ON OLIVER IF HE HAD NOT BROUGHT IT
UP CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT HE DOES THIS INSANELY PROGRESSIVE
SHOW WHERE HE TALKS ABOUT THESE ISSUES ON A DAILY BASIS.
>>TO FINISH MY THOUGHT THAT IS PART OF WHY WHAT IS WRONG
WHAT WE CAN LOOSELY CALL ACCESS JOURNALISM.
YOU MIGHT SAY THIS IS NOT A FORM FOR JOURNALISM WERE CELEBRATING
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY BUT I WOULD LARGELY DISAGREE.
JOHN OLIVER HAS A FORMAT TO ASK HIM A QUESTION AND I THINK IT IS
LAUDATORY TO ASK HIM THIS QUESTIONS.
AND DUSTIN HOFFMAN COMPLAINING, I DIDN'T AGREE FOR YOU TO ASK ME
TOUGH QUESTIONS IN PUBLIC, I DON'T THINK HE UNDERSTANDS
HOW WRONG THAT IS.
IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT YOU AGREED AHEAD OF TIME TO
HAVE A JOURNALIST ASK YOU TOUGH QUESTIONS, THAT IS THEIR JOB.
BUT WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT.
SO IT DID SEEM OFFPUTTING.
AND WHETHER JOHN OLIVER CALLS HIMSELF A JOURNALIST OR
NOT, HE IS.
I DON'T KNOW THAT I COULD LIVE WITH MYSELF EVEN THOUGH
THIS IS AWKWARD AND UNCOMFORTABLE BASICALLY.
I REALLY LIKE DUSTIN HOFFMAN'S GUY AND CAREER BUT ARE YOU
A POWERFUL GUY?
OF COURSE.
>>JUST GOING BACK TO THE VIDEO
FOR SECOND THINK ABOUT THE WAY
THAT HOFFMAN ANSWERED OLIVER'S QUESTION.
I THINK THERE IS A REASON FOR HER TO LIE.
WHAT IS THE REASON?
THIS IS A WOMAN WHO WAS A 17-YEAR-OLD
INTERN FOR A FILM THAT HOFFMAN WAS IN.
WHAT IS SHE STAND TO GAIN BY COMING OUT RECENTLY ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO HER.
ALSO HE ENDED IT BY SAYING WHY DID IT TAKE FOR YEARS FOR HER TO
COME OUT?
BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE AFRAID AND
INTIMIDATED BY POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS LIKE YOU.
>>BUT LOOK AT HOW ANGRY YOU GET.
I GET IF HE THINKS HE IS WRONGLY ACCUSED, I GET WHY HE IS ANGRY.
THE IMPLICIT PART THERE IF YOU DON'T GET IT IS THAT I WON'T BE
DOING THIS FOR YOU GUYS ANYMORE, YOU GUYS BLEW IT WE NO LONGER
WILL HAVE ACCESS TO.
THAT IS WHY YOU ARE POWERFUL AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO
COME OUT.
ALL THAT TIME AGO YOU WERE EVEN MORE POWERFUL AND CERTAINLY
THERE WAS NOT THE MOMENTUM FOR THE STORIES TO COME OUT.
I THINK IT IS AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION ON WHETHER
THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.
ON THE OTHER HAND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A HERE WHERE DO YOU HAVE
IT?
AT EVERY TURN PEOPLE WILL SAY IT IS AN INAPPROPRIATE FORUM
TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
I WOULD LIKE DUSTIN HOFFMAN AND OTHERS ñ
HE IS FERVENT IN HIS DENIAL.
I'M GIVING YOU BOTH SIDES BUT I WOULD LIKE DUSTIN HOFFMAN OR
WHOEVER ELSE TO SAY I DON'T WANT TO ANSWER HERE BUT HERE IS WHERE
I WILL ANSWER IT FROM AN EVEN TOUGHER JOURNALIST.
BUT THEY NEVER SAY THAT.
>>I I'M NOT BUYING IT AT ALL.
I THINK THERE ARE INDICATORS THAT MAKE IT PRETTY OBVIOUS
THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TO HIDE.
I THINK THE WAY THAT HOFFMAN HANDLED THE OTHER QUESTION
MIX OF PARENT.
WHEN THESE ALLEGATIONS CAME OUT AGAINST HOFFMAN HE APOLOGIZED.
HE IS ARGUING THAT THE APOLOGY WAS MISCONSTRUED IN THAT
HIS APOLOGY WAS NOT AN ADMISSION OF GUILT.
I WANT TO GO TO THAT VIDEO.
LISTEN CLOSELY.
>> SO WHAT WE SAID WAS WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS JUST APOLOGIZE BUT
THERE IS A KEYWORD LEFT OUT IN THE QUOTE.
AND THAT IS IF I DID ANYTHING THAT WAS OUT OF SORTS, I
APOLOGIZE.
THE WORD IF WAS IMPORTANT.
>> IT IS ACTUALLY NOT ñ
>>THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE.
>> WHAT IS YOUR STATEMENT?
IS THAT PART OF IT?
IT'S NOT
REFLECTIVE OF WHO I AM, IS A KIND OF STUFF THAT PISSES
ME OFF.
IT IS REFLECTIVE OF WHO YOU ARE WERE.
YOU HAVE GIVEN NO EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN,
AGAIN THERE WAS A PERIOD IN TIME FOR WHAT WERE YOU RECOUPING
AROUND LIMITS WHAT FEELS LIKE A COPOUT TO SAY WILL THIS IS
IT ME.
>> I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT HOFFMAN HIMSELF
WANTED TO ñ FIRST OF ALL HE DENIES THAT HE DID THESE THINGS
AND THEN HE WANTS TO EMPHASIZE THAT THAT IS NOT WHO HE IS
TODAY.
YOU JUST SAID YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, AND YOU DON'T
EVEN KNOW THESE WOMEN.
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE CHANGED?
AND FINALLY THERE WAS ONE OTHER PORTION THAT I WANTED TO
QUICKLY BRING UP.
HE ALSO JUST TALKS ABOUT HOW THE CULTURE IS JUST DIFFERENT NOW.
I'M PARAPHRASING BUT NOT BY MUCH.
HE SAID SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF YOU GOING TO WORK
ON MONDAY AND YOU WOULD ASK EVERYONE WHETHER THEY HAD
SEX ON FRIDAY.
BASICALLY IS TRYING TO JUSTIFY SOME OF WHATEVER WENT ON BY
SAYING THE CULTURE IS DIFFERENT NOW AND WE ARE SENSITIVE NOW.
I JUST THINK THOSE ANSWERS WERE TELLING.
>>I HEAR YOU.
I'M GOING TO GIVE TWO TEPID DEFENSES.
ONE THE CULTURE WAS DIFFERENT, AND IT DIDN'T MAKE THE
CULTURE RIGHT AT THE TIME.
WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT SEX A LOT MORE IN THE WORKPLACE?
YES.
DO THEY KNOW IT WAS WRONG?
I THINK SOME DID, BUT I BET YOU A
LOT OF THEM DID NOT.
IT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT.
AND IT IS GREAT THAT WE HAVE CHANGED IT.
BUT THE CULTURE I THINK WAS DEFINITELY DIFFERENT.
YOU TAKE THAT AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH IT AND IF YOU
SAY IT'S NO EXCUSE FOR WHAT DUSTIN HOFFMAN DID OR SAID,
I UNDERSTAND.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU WHEN HE SAYS IT IS NOT REFLECTIVE
OF WHO I AM TODAY.
IT IS BASICALLY SAYING OKAY I KIND OF DID THOSE THINGS.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ALLEGATIONS HERE.
MY SECOND TEPID DEFENSE OF HIM IN THAT REGARD IS IT IS
POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO CHANGE.
I KNOW I HAVE CHANGED.
IN COLLEGE I WAS A REPUBLICAN WHO HELD PRO-WAR RALLIES, I
WAS AN IDIOT.
IS IT REFLECTIVE OF WHO I AM TODAY?
NO.
I WISH HE HAD STUCK WITH THAT.
IF HE IS HONEST AND SAYS HERE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPENED, I FEEL
TERRIBLE THAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS WRONG
BACK THEN AND HERE IS HOW I HAVE CHANGED THEN YOU ARE HAVING
AN HONEST CONVERSATION.
FINALLY, JOHN OLIVER MAN THAT GUY IS BALLSY.
FOR HIM TO SAY IT MADE HIM PISSED OFF, AND TO CHALLENGE
HIM,
HE TOOK GREAT RISK TO DO THAT.
I GUARANTEE YOU HE NOW HAS A LOT OF POWERFUL ENEMIES AND A
LOT OF SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS HE WILL NOT GET.
MAYBE BECAUSE HE IS INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL ALREADY IT WILL ALLOW
HIM THE ABILITY TO DO THAT?
BUT AT LEAST TO USE THAT POWER FOR GOOD.
>> GOD, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
THE ONLY CRITICISM I HAVE OF OLIVER IS THAT HE GOES ON HIATUS
TOO MUCH.