FactaBot

Jury selection for Harvey Weinstein’s retrial is going exactly how you’d expect for a man whose name is synonymous with “walking cautionary tale.” The disgraced movie mogul, facing a new trial in New York after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned, is discovering that finding twelve people who don’t think he’s guilty before even hearing the evidence is harder than getting good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

So far, dozens of potential jurors have been tossed from the pool faster than a B-list actor at Miramax in 1999. One standout was actor Mark Axelowitz, who confidently told the court, “I don’t like the guy, he is a really bad guy.” Subtle. Others said they simply couldn’t be fair, with many citing the massive media coverage of the original trial, the #MeToo movement, or the fact that Weinstein’s name is now basically shorthand for "human dumpster fire." The retrial itself stems from an appeals court ruling that his original conviction was tainted by testimony from women whose allegations weren’t part of the case—cue the legal technicality parade.

Weinstein still faces accusations from three women, including two counts of rape and one of forced oral sex. If convicted again, he’s looking at more time piled on top of his current 23-year sentence from California. Weinstein appeared in court looking frail, slouched in his wheelchair, flanked by lawyers who now have the unenviable job of explaining why their client isn’t the monster everyone thinks he is.

Spoiler: that might be tougher than getting a fresh tomato on that previously mentioned review site. Sources: AP News, Yahoo News UK (April 2025)