When Will Time Be Up?

The #MeToo and #Time’sUp movements have been overwhelmingly positive. Women have opened up about their stories of sexual harassment and assault, and men have been outed. Some men have even been punished.

But some men have jumped on this movement to pretend as if they care, cloaking themselves and their past from the eyes of the public. Aziz Ansari, James Franco, and all of Woody Allen’s stars to name a few.

Let’s start with Ansari. He became the harmless, likeable Tom Haverford on “Parks and Recreation” who we all still know and appreciate. His standup discussed modern dating and even feminism itself. And yet, he has recently been exposed for sexually assaulting a woman on a date. Reading her account of the night, it is clear he manipulated her and had no regard for consent whatsoever. The kicker is he accepted a Golden Globe award dressed in all black wearing a “Time’s Up” pin.

Franco, the sweet looking funny-guy who smokes weed with Seth Rogan in movies and just likes to make people laugh? He is accused of sexual misconduct towards at least five women. He appeared on Stephen Colbert’s show and later Seth Meyers’ show discussing these allegations. In essence, he stated that the allegations were inaccurate, but the point of Time’s Up is to listen to stories that were not allowed to be told and learn from them. How does that make sense? He won’t listen to and learn from the women explaining his misconduct? Sounds like he just wants to hide from his actions by pointing at a pin he wore and saying, “Look, I’m good! I’m a part of this, too!” Don’t pat yourself on the back, Franco.

And lastly, to all of the people who praise Woody Allen for his art and how amazing it is to work with him, do some research. He sexually abused his step-daughter Danny beginning when she was seven years old. Over a decade later, when Danny first came out with her story, Allen brushed it off as a fabricated story that her mother, Mia Farrow, made up after her and Allen’s break-up. But wait…it gets creepier. His wife, Soon Yi Previn, was Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter. That’s right, he married his other step daughter. He also likes to brag about how she flourished under his paternal influence. Yuck.

So, Blake Lively, Emma Stone, Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, and countless others wearing a pin at the Golden Globes, I ask you: When will Time be Up for all abusers, and not just the ones you choose?