The two women who came forward on Tuesday to accuse Harvey Weinstein of rape sat down for their first interview with Megyn Kelly.
Look-alike victims Mimi Haleyi and Dominique Huett both detailed how Weinstein got them alone and then allegedly forced them into oral sex.
In Haleyi’s case, the alleged incident occurred in 2006 at his Soho loft in what appeared to be a children’s bedroom, with Weinstein performing oral sex on her while she demanded her stop.
Huett, like a number of accusers, was invited to meet Weinstein at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills back in 2010, where she claims he got her alone in his room and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
The 35-year-old actress is now suing the Weinstein Company and their board for $5 million, claiming that they could have prevented her rape because they knew about Weinstein’s sexual assaults for decades.
Speaking out: Mimi Haleyi and Dominique Huett (above) , the look-alike women who said on Tuesday that they had been raped by Harvey Weinstein, were on ‘Megyn Kelly Today’
Rape claims: Both women claim that Harvey Weinstein forced them into oral sex, performing it on Haleyi (above) in 2006 and making Huett perform it on him in 2010
Jeff Herman, who is representing Huett, outlined the reason for his client’s lawsuit to Megyn.
‘We’re putting the casting couch on trial here. What this case is about, and the reason Dominique is coming forward, is because we want to see change,’ explained Herman.
‘It’s one thing to talk about what happened. And it’s great we’re all talking about it. But the only way we’re really going to have change is to hold these companies financially accountable.’
He went on to state: ‘We know already, from what’s out there, that this has been going on for decades. And Harvey’s partner, essentially, his brother, Bob. And we believe that the evidence in this case is that it’s going to come out that not only Bob, but other people knew this has been going on for decades.’
Megyn then pressed Herman about how he could make this claim and what proof he had to back up that statement.
‘Obviously, we’re just starting discovery now. We already know that the meetings are being set up by employees. There were these honey pots, employees who were there to get the women to feel safe in these rooms,’ said Herman.
‘There’s been settlements going back for decades. Before there was the Weinstein Company, there was Miramax. Same thing happening there. A lot of the same people, including his brother, Bob.’
He continued: ‘We believe that the evidence will show that this behavior was enabled by the company. And if you think of any other industry, this would not be tolerated. If you had a company that knew its key executive was using his position in the company to coerce women into sexual misconduct, they’d put an end to it.
Herman then closed out his remarks by exclaiming: ‘Didn’t happen here.’
Megyn then turned to Haleyi’s lawyer Gloria Allred to get her stance on the lawsuit.
‘What I am concerned about, and I represent numerous very, very brave victims. This is the third one that I’ve done a news conference with. And I want to say that I’m so proud of all of the women who have alleged they’re victims of Harvey Weinstein and who have been so brave and have spoken out against a rich and powerful and famous man because they want their truth to be known,’ said Allred.
‘I want to say how much I am honored that people like Mimi have had the courage to speak out. I think we should give her a round of applause. I’m so proud of her.’
Megyn then asked if there would be more victims, at which point Allred revealed she would be having a press conference with that aforementioned third victim on Wednesday afternoon.
Payback: Huett is now suing the Weinstein Company and their board, claiming they knew about the sexual assault of other women for decades (Megyn Kelly above)
Difficult time: Haleyi, who shared her story on Tuesday, said she was raped in a child’s bedroom at Weinstein’s Soho loft (Haleyi above on Tuesday)
Acting work: Huett said her assault occurred at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills (Huett above on an episode of Blue Bloods)
The interview was also the first time that Huett was speaking publicly about her alleged assault, and how she came to know Weinstein.
‘I had met him in New York previously and we had been in touch about an audition for a Quentin Tarantino film,’ she explained to Megyn.
Huett then met with him again when she found herself in Los Angeles.
‘I didn’t know anything about the Peninsula, if he was staying there. I thought we were meeting at the bar, which we did,’ said Huett
‘And he told me, “okay, we’re going to my room now,” after a few minutes of conversation about movie roles.’
It was when she arrived at the room that she began to realize he appeared to live in the hotel.
‘And he offers me champagne, it was very similar to [Haleyi’s] story, that he just is very dominant, persuasive, does not back down if you say no. And kind of just forced me into doing something I didn’t want to do.’
Megyn responded to that by saying: ‘I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. But some people hear forced oral sex and they think, how? Did he hold you down? Help us understand that.’
Huett responded by explaining: ‘I feel like it was a coercive thing. He wouldn’t let it up that he – that it was just going to happen, no matter how hard I refused.’
She went on to say that when it was over she left the room.
Haleyi shared her story one day prior during a press conference with Allred.
The young woman said she tried to shoot down Weinstein’s repeated sexual advances by telling him she was menstruating, but he eventually overpowered her and shoved her onto a bed in his child’s bedroom.
‘He wouldn’t take no for an answer and backed me into a room which was not lit, but looked like a kids’ bedroom with kids’ drawings on the walls,’ said Haleyi.
‘He held me down on the bed, I tried to get him off me and kept asking him to stop but it was impossible. He was extremely persistent and physically overpowering.’
At that point Weinstein ripped out her tampon said Haleyi, who had begun to openly weep.
‘He then orally forced himself on me while I was on my period. I was mortified. I was in disbelief,’ said Haleyi, accompanied by her attorney Gloria Allred.
‘I would not have wanted anyone to do that to me even if that person had been my romantic partner.’
She then added: ‘I remember Harvey afterwards rolling over onto his back and saying “don’t you feel we’re so much closer to each other now?” I replied “no.”
Weinstein was divorced from his first wife and in a relationship with Georgina Chapman at the time.
Weinstein is said to be in rehab but there has still been nothing to prove this claim, and now over 60 women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
‘Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances,’ said a spokesperson for Weinstein.
‘Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.
‘Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.’