Asia Argento, one of the dozens of women in Hollywood to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, reportedly paid off actor Jimmy Bennett to stay quiet about them having sex when he was 17. Since then, actress Alyssa Milano has been vocal about Argento being accused of sexual assault by Bennett by urging others to not let it discredit victims.
"A victim of assault can also be an offender. It is sad and infuriating to say the least, but one victim’s alleged horrid behavior does not nullify an entire movement," wrote Milano in a post on The Wrap. "While the hideousness of such abuse is clear cut, the process of calling it out, and seeking justice and reform isn’t so black-and-white. It’s messy and complicated and sometimes disappointing—but the answer is not to dismiss the voices of survivors and advocates who are doing the work to shift our culture."
The Charmed actress expressed similar sentiments in a Good Morning America interview Thursday as well. "People who have been abused can also be abusers. And that’s a sad fact."
"The fact that people are still coming forward and still holding people accountable for their actions, whether that be a male predator or a female predator, to me, that’s a testament that the movement is working and that there is progress being made," she continued. "To me, what that does is enables us to identify the issues, the problems, and to then discuss them and get them out in the open."
Milano is one of the many actresses behind Time's Up, an organization working to stop sexual assault in Hollywood and elsewhere. Milano was also one of the early supporters of Tarana Burke's #MeToo movement where men and women have shared that they also were sexually abused or assaulted.
