The release of the explosive HBO documentary series Allen v. Farrow , which charts the
highly-publicized allegations of sexual abuse against filmmaker Woody Allen by his adopted
daughter, Dylan Farrow, has brought new attention to the fractured family. Allen has always
strongly denied Dylan's claims, and is taking this opportunity to once again attack his
former partner's veracity . Allen maintains Dylan was coached by her mother, Mia Farrow
, to lie and destroy his reputation following their messy split. Connecticut state's attorney
Frank Maco , who served as a prosecutor in Farrow's case, doesn't buy those claims. "I
believe her," Maco told People, pointing to a home video of Dylan talking to Mia about
the abuse.
"These are not words of a child that is manipulated or is being controlled by the mother."
During a recent, rare interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Allen nevertheless reiterated his
position, insisting that the accusations against him didn't "require any investigation, even."
Allen argued:
"It's so preposterous, and yet the smear has remained."
He further complained that society continues to doubt him.
"They still prefer to cling to if not the notion that I molested Dylan, the possibility
that I molested her. Nothing that I ever did with Dylan in my life could be misconstrued
as that."
Amid the many accusations being thrown back and forth, damning allegations about the other
children from the former couple's son, Moses, who has defended Allen in recent years, have
come to the fore once again. Mia Farrow has come forth to set the record straight once
and for all.
As EW notes, rumors started spreading online about the deaths of Farrow's children Tam,
Lark, and Thaddeus , partly because there was absolutely no mention of them in Allen
v. Farrow. Likewise, Moses' 2018 blog post began recirculating, in which he claimed,
among other things, that his mother was responsible for Tam's death, arguing she didn't get her
daughter the necessary help for her debilitating depression.
Dylan Farrow previously shot down the accusations, advising,
"My brother is a troubled person. I'm so sorry he's doing this."
But Mia, by all accounts, has tried to keep as quiet as possible in the face of rampant
media speculation. She once explained her silence to Elle:
"For me, it's the sleeping dog that you don't want to rouse."
Meanwhile, Allen vs. Farrow producer, Amy Herdy, told People that it "took several months
to convince Mia to do an interview."
But now that the disturbing stories have re-emerged, Mia Farrow has taken to social media to give
her version of events. In a lengthy statement posted to Twitter, the Rosemary's Baby star
acknowledged,
"Few families are perfect, and any parent who has suffered the loss of a child knows
that pain is merciless and ceaseless."
Although the actress and activist reiterated she rarely speaks publicly about private issues,
she felt compelled to contradict the "vicious rumors" that were circulating. She did so,
"To honor their memory, their children, and every family that has dealt with the death
of a child."
Mia Farrow lost her daughter Tam in 2000, her daughter Lark in 2008, and her son, Thaddeus
in 2016. In the wake of renewed social media buzz surrounding her children, she explained
their deaths via Tweet. Farrow wrote,
"As a mother of 14 children, my family means everything to me."
She further confirmed how Tam had passed away due to an accidental overdose "related to
agonizing migraines she suffered, and a heart ailment", while Lark died due to complications
from HIV/AIDS . Thaddeus died by suicide following the breakdown of a relationship. Farrow mourned,
"These are unspeakable tragedies. Any other speculation about their deaths is to dishonor
their lives and the lives of their children and loved ones."
Farrow's statement has been met with an outburst of unusual compassion from the Twitterverse.
Her daughter Dylan has tweeted her love for her mother. A friend of Thaddeus reached out
on Twitter, writing that Mia's son had been
"Full of light and joy and jokes despite so many challenges. [...] He was such an example
to me of appreciation and perspective. He loved you and his whole family so much."
The youngest child of Martin Luther King, Bernice King also voiced her support for Farrow,
writing a message that most of us can get behind. King tweeted,
"I'm so sorry you had to address this, Mia. Often, humans are very inhumane. Love and
peace to you."
If you, or anyone you know, have been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit
the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) website or contact RAINN's National
Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).