Celebs Defend Asia Argento from 'Vicious' Bullies Who Blame Her for Anthony Bourdain's Death
Asia Argento is getting support from some of the women and men leading the #MeToo movement after being cyber bullied over the death of her boyfriend Anthony Bourdain.
45 prominent members of the movement — including Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Terry Crews, Anthony Rapp, Mira Sorvino, Olivia Munn and Paz de La Huerta — signed an open letter of support for Argento, who they say has blamed her for the death of the 61-year-old celebrated chef by online trolls. Bourdain was found dead by suicide on June 8.
“Asia has now found herself on the receiving end of vicious cyberbullying and repulsive slander at the hands of internet trolls who hold her responsible for Anthony’s death,” the statement, obtained by The Wrap, states. “She has been accused of everything from causing her boyfriend’s suicide to trying to use her “survivor status” and the #MeToo movement to advance her career.”
Argento was one of the over 60 women who accused disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, harassment and rape starting in October 2017. The Italian actress alleged in an expose in the New Yorker that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 1997. Bourdain, who she had been dating starting that year, was publicly supportive of his girlfriend and the #MeToo movement before his death.
“We are here to ask those who are angry and grieving the loss of Anthony to find a healthy outlet for their pain,” the statement continued. “Asia is a survivor, just as we are, and her fame and outward show of strength does not make her any less vulnerable. Asia is not a headline — she is a human being, and she is in horrific pain.”
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“We understand sexual harassment and assault are global epidemics. Our request for Asia is a request for any and all survivors. Our standing up for her is standing up to any and all bullies. We implore you to be kind to each other, to believe survivors, to stand up for survivors, to encourage, support and sympathize with them,” the statement concludes.
The producer has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 60 women since The New York Times and The New Yorker documented decades of alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault involving a number of women in detailed, Pulitzer-prize winning articles in October.
A spokesperson for Weinstein previously told PEOPLE in a statement that “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.”
