The Atlantic

The Audacity of Blaming 'Sex Addiction'

When others might go to prison, powerful people go to rehab.
Source: Andreas Rentz / Getty / Katie Martin / The Atlantic

Some people go to prison, and others go to rehab. Deposed Hollywood plutocrat Harvey Weinstein is reportedly going to rehab. On Tuesday, TMZ said Weinstein was en route to “a rehab center in Europe” to address “sex addiction.”

“We’re told Weinstein still believes he can get help, come back and make a fresh start,” the site reported. “As a source close to Weinstein put it, ‘He wants to come back with fresh, new ideas.’”

After decades of both patterns of behavior, the 65-year-old Weinstein appears to be seeking a do-over. Though he hasn’t publicly confirmed it, he, in which he misquoted Jay-Z and condemned the NRA and also conceded, “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.”

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic4 min read
Hayao Miyazaki’s Anti-war Fantasia
Once, in a windowless conference room, I got into an argument with a minor Japanese-government official about Hayao Miyazaki. This was in 2017, three years after the director had announced his latest retirement from filmmaking. His final project was
The Atlantic3 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
The Legacy of Charles V. Hamilton and Black Power
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. This week, The New York Times published news of the death of Charles V. Hamilton, the
The Atlantic6 min read
The Happy Way to Drop Your Grievances
Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. In 15th-century Germany, there was an expression for a chronic complainer: Greiner, Zanner, which can be translated as “whiner-grumbler.” It was no

Related Books & Audiobooks