Gary Oldman’s third ex-wife Donya Fiorentino called out the Academy Awards for giving two men, including her ex, statues – despite allegations they have been violent towards women.
‘Congratulations, Gary and congratulations to the Academy for awarding not one but two abusers with Oscars,’ Fiorentino told TMZ on Monday. ‘I thought we had evolved. What happened to the #MeToo movement?’
As Oldman, 59, won the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the late Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, social media users quickly reminded everyone of the domestic violence allegations lodged against him by Fiorentino in 2001.
The public also responded with outrage over Kobe Bryant’s win in the category of Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball.
In 2005, he paid out an undisclosed settlement after a hotel employee accused him of rape in 2003.
Both men have denied these allegations against them, but the wins were still seen as controversial as this year’s Oscars ceremony was dedicated to the #MeToo movement.
As Gary Oldman won Best Actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday, social media users quickly reminded everyone of the domestic violence allegations lodged against him by his ex in 2001
The public also responded with outrage for Kobe Bryant’s win in the category of Best Animated Short Film, after he settled a civil lawsuit over a rape allegation in 2005
Oldman called the 2001 claims by Fiorentino ‘lies, innuendoes and half-truths.’
Fiorentino, 50, spoke to DailyMail.com early in this year’s awards season about what she called a ‘nightmare’ of her four-year marriage to Oldman.
‘He stole my children and ruined my life,’ she told DailyMail.com in an interview published on February 3, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
‘The truth needs to be told. I would like Gary to stand up and take responsibility for his actions. Will he? Who knows? He has always denied everything.’
Oldman’s then-wife, Donya Fiorentino, alleged in court documents filed in Los Angeles that year that Oldman beat her in the head with a telephone in front of their two young children; Fiorentino is seen here in Los Angeles in 2013
Oldman and his then-wife Fiorentino are seen here at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Before Night Falls’ at the Directors Guild of America in December of 2000
Emboldened by the #MeToo movement, Donya Fiorentino said of Oldman, ‘He is a great actor. Was he a great husband? No.’
As former NBA star Kobe Bryant won the Oscar for Best Animated Short film at Sunday’s 90th Annual Academy Awards, social media users reminded the world that he was accused of rape in the early 2000s
Emboldened by the #MeToo movement, Fiorentino said, ‘He is a great actor. Was he a great husband? No.’
‘Our marriage was a giant car crash in which demented things happened. I lost my self-esteem, I was broken,’ she added.
‘I’ve been empowered by hearing other women speak up. When a woman gets her voice back, she gets her power back.’
‘I want our sons and the world to know the truth. I would rather get eaten by a great white shark than go through that marriage again,’ she said.
‘I have $20 in my purse. I’ve got nothing else he can take from me. I’m not speaking out to hurt Gary. In fact, I wish him well. He’s a brilliant actor and he fully deserves his Oscar. But when you are nominated for an Academy Award you have to be held to a higher standard.’
Fiorentino is seen here attending the Lupus LA Orange Ball at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 9, 2013 in Beverly Hills
Oldman is seen here after winning the Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday in Hollywood
Oldman won the Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour
Social media users were not happy with Oldman’s win, based on domestic violence claims
Fiorentino added: ‘The kids were held hostage in the war between us.
‘I eventually ran out of money and was representing myself in court. Money, power and fame won. I will take blame, I played a big part in destroying my life and that is something I have to live with. I am sorry I was not the mother I should have been.
‘I don’t blame Gary for everything. But it takes two to destroy something. The perpetrators of domestic abuse have to live with it too.’
Amid ongoing references at the Oscars to the #MeToo movement which Fiorentino mentioned, as well as the ‘Time’s Up’ movement that has gripped Hollywood over the past several months, social media users were outspoken about disagreeing with the Academy’s choices for Best Actor and Best Animated Short Film..
The Time’s Up movement, and a legal defense fund by the same name, was created in response to the public outing of men in media for their alleged acts of sexual harassment, assault, abuse of power and unequal treatment of women in the workplace.
One Twitter user called out the Academy for giving the award of Best Actor to an accused perpetrator of domestic violence after giving it to Casey Affleck in 2016, who has been accused of sexual harassment in lawsuits that have since been settled
Oldman is seen here posing with his Academy Award for Best Actor on Sunday in Hollywood
It was accusations against Harvey Weinstein that broke in October, that preceded a social media campaign using the hashtag #MeToo, which due to its widespread adoption gave people courage to share their own stories of sexual harassment and assault
The founders of the Time’s Up movement have made it clear that although their cause was inspired by allegations against the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Louis CK, Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin and William Morris Endeavor’s Adam Venit, and even before them, Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly, the fund exists for the benefit of all people, across all industries, who have experience lack of parity in their places of business.
It was accusations against Weinstein, however, that broke in October, that preceded a social media campaign using the hashtag #MeToo, which due to its widespread adoption gave people courage to share their own stories of sexual harassment and assault.
Before that, the ‘Me Too’ movement was initiated offline by Tarana Burke a New York City-based civil rights activist who first used the term in 2006 in her work to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society.
Amid ongoing references at the Oscars to the #MeToo movement which Fiorentino mentioned, as well as the ‘Time’s Up’ movement that has gripped Hollywood over the past several months, social media users were outspoken about disagreeing with the Academy’s choice for Best Actor
Oldman has denied any allegations of domestic violence lodged against him by his ex
Oldman beat out the other contenders for Best Actor this year, which included Denzel Washington for Roman J Israel, Esq., Timothee Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name, Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out, and Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread
There was an overwhelming sentiment on social media on Sunday that the Oscars had seemingly letting Oldman’s and Bryant’s accused violence against women slide.
The 2001 documents cited by the Daily News that included domestic violence claims against Oldman were part of a messy divorce filing with his third ex-wife, Fiorentino, where lots of nasty allegations were made, back and forth.
Fiorentino’s filing stated, that on May 19, 2001, the following occurred:
‘As I picked up the phone to call the police, Gary put his hand on my neck and squeezed. I backed away, with the phone receiver in my hand. I tried to dial 911. Gary grabbed the phone receiver from my hand, and hit me in the face with the telephone receiver three or four times. Both of the children were crying.’
At the time, Oldman’s manager, Douglas Urbanksi, told the Daily News:
‘Donya’s claims were completely investigated by police and the district attorney’s offices. No charges were ever filed.’
Oldman stated in his filings with the court that the two met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Beverly Hills in 1996, that she told him she was sober, but then overdosed and was found by her daughter with director David Fincher in January of 2001.
Fiorentino’s attorney did not respond to those allegations at the time.
Fiorentino’s filing stated, that on May 19, 2001, Oldman beat her in the head with a telephone in front of their two young children
Oldman, who played Churchill in 2017’s The Darkest Hour, was eventually awarded custody of his children with Fiorentino in their divorce
Bryant settled a civil lawsuit out of court in Denver, Colorado in March of 2005, stemming from a rape allegation related to an incident that occurred in June 2003
Oldman was eventually awarded custody of their children in the divorce.
Before he married Fiorentino, Oldman had two previous wives. He was married to Lesley Manville from 1987 to 1990, and to Uma Thurman from 1990 to 1992.
After his marriage to Fiorentino ended, Oldman wed Alexandra Edenborough in 2008, who he divorced in 2015. He married his current wife, Gisele Schmidt, in 2017.
Byrant, who is still married to his wife Vanessa, and was married to her at the time of his admitted sexual encounter in 2003, was also called to the court of public opinion over his past.
Bryant took home his statue for Dear Basketball despite ongoing references at the Oscars to the #MeToo and ‘Time’s Up’ movements that have gripped Hollywood for the past few months
Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, are seen here at the Oscars Governors Ball in Hollywood on Sunday, after Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
Bryant remains married to his wife, Vanessa, who he married in 2001. The two have three children together, ages 15, 11 and 1; Bryant has also won five NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals and an NBA MVP award over the past nearly two decades
Bryant settled a civil lawsuit out of court in Denver, Colorado in March of 2005, stemming from a rape allegation related to an incident that occurred in June 2003.
He initially faced a felony sexual assault charge for the same incident, but that criminal charge was dropped six months prior to the settlement, when his accuser decided not to testify, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The incident that gave rise to the criminal charge, and later the civil lawsuit and its settlement, occurred on June 30, 2003 at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, in Edwards, Colorado.
Bryant’s accuser worked at the front desk at the mountain resort, where Bryant admitted to having sex with the woman, who was then 19.
The next day, the woman reported a rape to the police in Eagle County, Colorado.
Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, are seen here at the Oscars Governors Ball in Hollywood on Sunday, after Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
Documents reported to be related to the case were published by The Smoking Gun. Those documents include what is held out to be a 32-page transcript of the woman’s account of what happened that night, and what the website called a 57-page transcript of Bryant’s interview with Eagle County investigators
Bryant first denied the encounter entirely, but then claimed it was consensual.
Documents reported to be related to the case were published by The Smoking Gun. Those documents include what is held out to be a 32-page transcript of the woman’s account of what happened that night, and what the website called a 57-page transcript of Bryant’s interview with Eagle County investigators.
The accuser eventually decided not to testify at Bryant’s impending criminal trial, after her name was mistakenly released to the media three times by the Eagle County court.
A sealed transcript of a closed hearing on the DNA evidence was also e-mailed to seven media outlets, inadvertently, by the court which was inundated with media requests.
Colorado courts spokeswoman Karen Salaz said at the time the civil settlement was made known to the public that the court learned some hard lessons with the way this case was handled.
Bryant said when the criminal charge against him was dropped in September 2014: ‘I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter’
Whether there were financial terms to the settlement was never disclosed, but Bryant did make a public apology prior to the agreement at the time the criminal case was dropped, that did not include an outright admission of guilt but rather included this language, as published by ESPN:
‘Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.’
The accuser signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal.
The only additional comments publicly made by either party came in the form of a joint statement, through their lawyers.
‘[The case] has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties,’ the statement said, as a motion was filed in Denver asking US District Judge Richard Matsch to dismiss the case.
Bryant took home his statue for Dear Basketball despite being accused of rape and amid ongoing references at the Oscars to the #MeToo and ‘Time’s Up’ movements that have gripped Hollywood over the past several months
Legal experts have speculated the settlement agreement included a large sum paid to the woman by Bryant.
And on Sunday, Bryant took home his statue for Dear Basketball despite being accused of rape, over films titled Lou, Garden Party, Revolting Rhymes and Negative Space.
Oldman beat out the other contenders for Best Actor this year, which included Denzel Washington for Roman J Israel, Esq., Timothee Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name, Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out, and Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread.
Oldman also won Best Actor for his role as Churchill at the Screen Actors Guild awards in January.
After his marriage to Fiorentino ended, Oldman wed Alexandra Edenborough in 2008, who he divorced in 2015; He then married his current wife, Gisele Schmidt (pictured), in 2017