When even Playboy bails on you, it might be time to consider your situation.
On Wednesday, six women came forward, including Hollywood starlets Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, to accuse director Bret Ratner of sexual harassment. Munn says Ratner hit on her and exposed himself when she went to deliver food to his trailer on a movie set; Henstridge says the director sexually harassed her and pressured her into a sexual encounter.
Ratner denied the allegations, through his attorney Marty Singer.
But the atmosphere in Hollywood is, right now, one of deep suspicion, as long-buried allegations of everything from sexual harassment to violent rape have surfaced against some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names. And even organizations ostensibly built on the objectification of women, like Playboy, want nothing to do with the scandals.
Ratner is a longtime fan of Hugh Hefner, and even penned a glowing obituary for the former “lifestyle” magazine mogul, when Hefner died last month. According to Ratner, Hefner was responsible for singlehandedly changing the world for the better, making sex more open and accessible, and embedding a liberal view of sexuality within American culture.
Ratner announced he’d be taking the helm of a biopic of the late Playboy founder not long after Hefner’s death. But Thursday morning, Playboy Enterprises, who had signed on to produce the movie, announced they were scrapping the project indefinitely.
“We are deeply troubled to learn about the accusations against Brett Ratner. We find this kind of behavior completely unacceptable. We are putting all further development of our projects with RatPac Entertainment on hold until we are able to review the situation further,” the company said in a statement to E! News.
Jared Leto, who Ratner had approached for the starring role, categorically denied that the project was on his calendar.
“Jared Leto is not and was not attached to a Brett Ratner-directed Hugh Hefner film, nor will he be working with him in the future,” Leto’s rep told Hollywood newsmagazine, Deadline. “Earlier reports were incorrect and not confirmed by his representatives.”
If Ratner emulated his hero, Hefner, it’s easy to see where Ratner’s — or anyone’s — love for all things Playboy could go horribly wrong. In fact, as Daily Wire commentators like Matt Walsh and Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro have pointed out, the line from Hefner’s social liberalism to today’s Hollywood sexual harassment scandal is a straight one.