Ashley Judd appeared in public for the first time since becoming the catalyst for exposing the Harvey Weinstein scandal at the Wonder Woman awards, along with Mimi Haleyi and Hillary Clinton.
Judd accepted the Truth to Power accolade at the event hosted by the Women Media Center in New York.
Clinton, who previously received campaign donations from the disgraced media mogul, was given the top accolade named after the event, the Wonder Woman award.
Ashley Judd accepted an award during the Wonder Woman event, which was also attended with fellow Harvey Weinsetin accuser Mimi Haleyi (right, with her lawyer Gloria Allred)
Hillary Clinton received the main accolade for the evening and gave an impassioned speech about women’s equality
Mimi Haleyi, another of Weinstein’s more than 60 accusers also attended the ceremony, with her attorney Gloria Allred in tow. She added her voice to the growing list of accusers Tuesday when she claimed Weinstein sexually assaulted her at his apartment in New York.
Judd began her acceptance speech recounting her own incident with Weinstein, ‘I came right downstairs and my dad could see it in my face that I was shattered and I told him everything and I’ve been telling folks for about 20 years and I am very happy that I’ve finally been heard,’ Judd said.
Judd, who appeared on Good Morning America and Nightline during the same day said ‘We’ve been able to talk about how perpetrators are shameless and they put their toxic shame onto their victims and we internalize it and take it around with us.’
‘Until we say wait a minute, that was never my shame in the first place I’m going to put it back where it belongs which is on the sexual predator, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
During her awards acceptance speech, Hillary, who also turned 70 Thursday highlighted women’s equality.
Judd accepted her Truth to Power accolade and spoke on about her claims against Weinstein
‘Last year when I was pursuing the presidency, I ran into people both men and women who thought sexism and the struggle for women’s equality was so over: a thing of the past, ancient history,’ Clinton said according to Bustle. ‘Well what a difference a year makes.’
In an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired Thursday, Judd gave a more detailed account of her interactions with Weinstein on Good Morning America.
Judd described her fear when she found herself inside Weinstein’s Beverly Hills hotel back in 1996 as he asked her first for a massage and then to watch her shower.
Soon after she was in the room he began to make demands, first of a massage, and she quickly became frustrated with his behavior.
‘Volley of nos. Maybe he heard them as yeses. Maybe it turned him on,’ said Judd, who added that to this day she could still remember the layout of the room because she quickly realized there were no nearby exits.
Then he asked her to join him in the bathroom and watch him shower.
She again denied his request.
Speaking out: Ashley Judd sat down with Diane Sawyer in her first interview since accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment (above on Good Morning America)
‘Very gross’: Judd also revealed that she was in ‘abject terror’ when Weinstein grabbed her hand at an Oscars afterparty the following year (Judd, Weinstein and Vince Vaughn in that incident in 1997)
‘And he has spat my name at me ever since,’ said Judd, who in spite of this said that if she saw Weinstein she would say: ‘ I love you and I understand that you are sick and suffering and there is help for a guy like you too and it’s entirely up to you to get that help.’
‘He kept coming back at me with all this other stuff and finally I just said, when I win an Oscar in one of your movies, okay,’ said Judd.
‘”When you get nominated.” I said, “no, when I win an Oscar” and then I just fled, which I think, you know, am I proud of that, I’m of two minds, the part that shapes myself says no.
‘The part of me that understands the way shame works says that was absolutely brilliant, good job, kid. You got out of there. Well done.’
She then added: ‘It’s a very important word, shame, and it’s a very important thing to talk about so we all do the best we can and our best is good enough.’
Judd told agents and fellow actors about what had happened to her after the fact, and they all just turned a blind eye, fearful perhaps of what Weinstein might do to them or their career.