Dustin Hoffman confronted about sexual harassment claims by John Oliver in heated panel
DUSTIN HOFFMAN was grilled in what turned into a heated argument with John Oliver during a public Q&A last night.
John Oliver grills Dustin Hoffman over harassment allegations
The actor was appearing on a panel to mark the 20th anniversary of Wag the Dog when talk turned to sexual misconduct in Hollywood.
“This is something we’re going to have to talk about because… it’s hanging in the air,” the television host started.
The 40-year-old was referencing the allegations made by Anna Graham Hunter last month, who branded Dustin a “predator” as she claimed he “grabbed her a**” while she was interning on Death Of A Salesman aged 17.
“It’s hanging in the air?” the now-80-year-old replied, according to The Washington Post, while appearing alongside Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal and director Barry Levinson.
Dustin Hoffman and John Oliver were involved in a heated conversation yesterday
Dustin Hoffman was appearing at a Q&A with Robert De Niro
John Oliver was hosting the event when he asked Dustin about the allegations
It’s that kind of response to this stuff that p****s me off
“From a few things you’ve read you’ve made an incredible assumption about me. You’ve made the case better than anyone else can. I’m guilty,” Dustin continued.
The film star spoke out at the time, offering a conditional apology: “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.”
After the conversation came up half-way through the event, Dustin went on: “I still don’t know who this woman is. I never met her; if I met her it was in concert with other people.”
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Dustin Hoffman promoting Death of a Salesman
John is believed to have dismissed that as insufficient: “It’s ‘not reflective of who I am’ — it’s that kind of response to this stuff that p****s me off.
“It is reflective of who you were. If you’ve given no evidence to show it didn’t [happen] then there was a period of time for a while when you were a creeper around women. It feels like a cop-out to say, ’It wasn’t me.’ Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?”
Dustin accused John of “putting me on display” and asked: “Do you believe this stuff you read?” to which he said there was no point in an accuser lying.