Kenneth Cole Resigns as amfAR Chairman Amid Controversy Over Harvey Weinstein Deal
Kenneth Cole announced that he has stepped down as chairman of AIDS research charity amfAR after serving on its board for more than 30 years. The news comes months after reports surfaced that the fashion designer allegedly made a deal to funnel charity proceeds to Harvey Weinstein’s investors.
“Today my 14-year term as chairman concludes,” Cole said nonchalantly while speaking at the foundation’s annual amfAR Gala New York benefit held at Cipriani Wall Street on Wednesday evening.
“It has been a true privilege to have worked alongside so many talented and dedicated and committed individuals. Through my ongoing work as a UNAIDS Ambassador and with the End AIDS Coalition, I remain personally committed to aligning resources and galvanizing global action and working with amfAR to make AIDS history.”
Last fall, details of an arrangement between Cole and Weinstein came to light — $600,000 of proceeds raised from a 2015 amfAR fundraising gala in Cannes was diverted to pay back investors at the American Repertory Theater, a nonprofit playhouse that staged a trial run of “Finding Neverland,” a Broadway musical produced by Weinstein. In November, a petition was signed by more than 60 people in the industry asking Cole to resign due to the controversial Weinstein deal, which occurred before the mogul’s sexual assault scandal.
Moments after Cole revealed that he would no longer be serving as board chairman, only a handful of guests stood up and gave Cole a standing ovation for his decades of work with the organization. Cole first got involved with amfAR 33 years ago when he met the organization’s founder, Dr. Mathilde Krim, who died last month at the age of 91. He began collaborating with Krim on a series of public service campaigns to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, and succeeded her as the chairman of the board in 2004 to lead the fight against the pandemic.
The nonprofit, which has become known for its star-studded annual galas, has raised more than $120 million and hopes to find a cure for AIDS by 2020.
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