Harvey Weinstein claims he continues to receive a $60,000 pension check from Disney each year as he sits behind bars.
The disgraced film producer, 73, complained in his first sit-down at Rikers Island that he is worried about his finances as he waits for his third trial for alleged sexual assault.
Weinstein told The Hollywood Reporter in a rare interview published Tuesday that, after spending millions in legal fees, the thought of running out of money “keeps me up at night.”
“I had property and other income, but it’s not limitless,” he told the outlet. “Disney cut off my insurance. You know how much I made for that company?”
The Miramax co-founder went on to claim that he made $1 billion for the company by publishing the Percy Jackson book franchise, continuing: “I earned billions and billions for Disney and they give me $60,000 a year. And my ex-wife Eve takes half of it.”
Eve Chilton is Weinstein’s first wife, to whom he was married from 1987 to 2004. A former assistant at Miramax, she had three daughters with him — Remy, Emma, and Ruth.
Disney did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
Weinstein and his brother Bob launched their production studio, Miramax, in 1979 and became famous for funding successful indie films like Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Reservoir Dogs. The Walt Disney Company acquired Miramax in 1993 for around $70 million, beginning a 12-year relationship that eventually ended with the Weinstein brothers stepping down from the group in 2005 due to clashes with Disney management, including former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
At the time, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Weinstein brothers had earned around $403 million during their tenure with the company, including their final payout of $140 million. Disney went on to sell the studio to Filmyard Holdings in 2010.
Eisner, who served as Disney’s CEO from 1984 to 2005, said in a recent interview that working with Weinstein was the most difficult part of his career.
“He lied about everything,” the former executive said about Weinstein on the In Depth podcast in February. “How do you deal with somebody who never tells the truth?”
Eisner added, “He was just a pig. He was rude, but he was a closet intellectual. He looked like a truck driver. He acted like a truck driver. He had great independent film taste and nobody at Disney would deal with him but me. He couldn’t tell the truth, he didn’t stick to the contracts.”
Although he has been found guilty of sexual assault in two separate cases, one in his New York retrial last year and one in Los Angeles in 2022, Weinstein has repeatedly denied that he ever sexually assaulted anyone.
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
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