Harvey Weinstein reportedly sought $25 million in 'emergency cash' from Netflix before massive sexual harassment scandal ended his career
- Harvey Weinstein reportedly tried to raise $25 million from Netflix, knowing press reports of sexual harassment allegations were weeks away from being published.
- Netflix turned down the deal, according to Page Six.
- The Weinstein Company and Netflix have a long history together.
Harvey Weinstein tried to raise $25 million from Netflix just weeks before numerous allegations of sexual harassment were made public, Page Six reported Monday.
Weinstein apparently knew of the upcoming articles by The New York Times and The New Yorker when he approached Netflix, according to the report. He proposed a $25 million deal in exchange for part of his film catalog, Page Six said, but Netflix turned him down.
Page Six also reported the deal was for "emergency cash," and that it does not know if Weinstein sought approval from The Weinstein Company board for the proposal.
According to previous press reports, Weinstein spent huge sums of money to try to discredit his accusers and keep their allegations from being made public. The New Yorker reported one invoice for "intelligence" to "stop the publication of a new negative article" was for $600,000.
The Weinstein Company had worked with Netflix for many years. One deal saw the streaming giant become the sole US home of the company's recently released films from 2016 onward.
"The deal that we've just completed with Netflix is probably the biggest deal in the history of The Weinstein Company," Harvey Weinstein said at the time the deal was signed.
The Weinstein Company also produced the Netflix series "Marco Polo," one of television's most expensive shows, and have co-hosted a Golden Globes party for three years.
However, after Weinstein was removed from his company following sexual harassment allegations, Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos downplayed the connection between the two.
"Our business with the Weinstein Company is pretty arm's distance," he said in October.
Netflix has tried to be proactive during the recent wave of sexual misconduct allegations in Hollywood.
The tech giant bowed out of a bid for The Weinstein Company and fired Kevin Spacey after several sexual misconduct allegations were raised. It will also be hosting this year's Golden Globes party solo.
Netflix did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment Monday night.