It’s safe to say that the waning #MeToo-sparked sisterhood between actresses Asia Argento and Rose McGowan is officially over.
On Monday, Argento threatened McGowan with legal action if she does not retract claims she made regarding the bombshell report that Argento, then 37, allegedly had sex with actor Jimmy Bennett when he was 17 years old and subsequently paid him off to keep quiet.
“Dear @RoseMcGowan,” the Italian actress posted to Twitter. “It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise for the horrendous lies made against me in your statement of August 27th. If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action.”
Argento and McGowan sparked a fierce friendship after they both came forward to claim they were sexually victimized by Democrat mega-donor and producer Harvey Weinstein. Both Argento and McGowan have been vocal supporters and figureheads of the #MeToo movement in the days since.
But things changed in August when Argento was accused of acting in Weinstein-fashion by paying off Bennett, an alleged victim of her own, to the tune of $380,000. The actress has denied any sexual relationship with Bennett, though she did admit to the payment, which she said was made by her late boyfriend, “Parts Unknown” host Anthony Bourdain.
Texts and photos, however, tell a different story about the nature of Argento and Bennett’s relationship together, one far off from the actress’ denial. The goods on Argento were leaked by Rain Dove, McGowan’s current partner.
“I had sex with him it felt weird. I didn’t know he was a minor until the shakedown letter,” admitted Argento in a text message. “It wasn’t raped [sic] but I was frozen. He was on top of me. After, he told me I had been his sexual fantasy since was 12,” she wrote in another message.
After initially asking the public to be “gentle” with her pal Argento when the report first made print, McGowan later made a statement in support of Rain Dove and asked Argento to “be the person you wish Harvey could have been.”
“Asia you were my friend,” said part of McGowan’s lengthy statement. “I loved you. You’ve spent and risked a lot to stand with the MeToo movement. I really hope you find your way through this process to rehabilitation and betterment. Anyone can be be better- I hope you can be, too. Do the right thing. Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course. Be the person you wish Harvey could have been.”