Woody Allen Hopes the Harvey Weinstein Scandal Doesn't Lead to a 'Witch Hunt Atmosphere'

Woody Allen is sad for everybody involved in the ongoing Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal – including Harvey himself.

The 81-year-old film director made the controversial statement in an interview with the BBC published on Sunday (October 15).

“Tragic for the poor women that were involved, sad for Harvey that [his] life is so messed up. There’s no winners in that, it’s just very, very sad and tragic for these poor women that had to go through that,” he said.

He added that he hoped this scandal didn’t result in a “witch hunt atmosphere” for men.

“You also don’t want it to lead to a witch hunt atmosphere, a Salem atmosphere, where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself. That’s not right either. But sure, you hope that something like this could be transformed into a benefit for people rather than just a sad or tragic situation.”

Woody‘s comments – and the interview itself – have been met with plenty of criticism and backlash on social media. See reactions from social media below.