Former actress Jessica Mann testified in graphic detail Friday about her encounters with Harvey Weinstein, alleging the disgraced film executive raped her in a hotel room seven years ago.
Mann is the fifth accuser to take the witness stand against Weinstein. Her testimony comes a week after Annabella Sciorra, an actor known for her work on “The Sopranos” and several films, took the stand for nearly two hours. Sciorra detailed the night she claims Weinstein burst into her New York apartment in late 1993 or early 1994 and forcibly performed oral sex on her.
Advertisement
In Mann’s testimony, she said she met Weinstein at a Los Angeles party in either 2012 or 2013, after moving to the city to pursue acting. Like many of the women accusing Weinstein of misconduct, Mann said the film mogul took an interest in meeting with her under the guise of helping her further her career.
In her testimony, Mann said that in an early meeting, Weinstein asked for a massage. At a later meeting purportedly for a movie role, Mann alleged that Weinstein forced oral sex on her. She told the court she faked an orgasm “to get out of it,” The New York Times reported.
Weeks after these meetings, Weinstein raped her at the DoubleTree hotel in Midtown Manhattan, Mann alleged. During that encounter, Weinstein injected his penis with erection medication, forced her to undress, and barred her from leaving the room, she said.
Advertisement
Mann gave vivid descriptions of both Weinstein’s rhetoric and body during these interactions, making claims that he didn’t have testicles, appears to have a vagina, and is “intersex.”
“He would talk very dirty to me about fantasies and things, and compare me to the other things actresses that he said were doing kinky, dirty things with him,” Mann testified. “He always wanted to film me. I never gave him permission.”
“He would say, ‘Do you like my big, fat, Jewish dick?’” Mann said.
“The first time I saw him fully naked,” she said, “I thought he was deformed and intersex. He has an extreme scarring that I didn’t know, maybe [he] was a burn victim …”
Mann also testified that Weinstein once peed on her, and criticized the film mogul’s hygiene.
“It was very bad,” she said. “He smelled like shit — excuse me, sorry, like poop. He just was dirty.”
After the alleged assaults, Mann had what prosecutors described as a “friendly relationship” with Weinstein, based on emails the two exchanged. (Of course, as the Times notes, rape can occur in consensual relationships, and it’s not uncommon for victims to “choose — or are forced by circumstances — to maintain outwardly friendly relationships with their attackers.”)
Advertisement
Mann testified that at one point, she told Weinstein she had a boyfriend. In response, he screamed “‘You owe me one more time!’ and raped her again, she alleged.
Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women since two explosive reports on his patterns of inappropriate behavior came out in 2017. Six women have agreed to testify about their alleged assaults. Weinstein faces five felony charges.
In relation to Mann, Weinstein is charged with first- and third-degree rape, and predatory sexual assault; earlier this week, former Weinstein Company Production Assistant Mimi Haleyi testified that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at his Manhattan townhouse in 2006.
Weinstein, 67, has insisted all encounters were consensual.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.