Culture

Ashley Judd Opens Up To Diane Sawyer In Her First TV Interview About The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Ashley Judd sat down with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America Thursday morning for her first televised interview since the the New York Times published its explosive report on Harvey Weinstein, blowing open decades of sexual harassment and assault allegations. Judd, who was one of the women who went on record with the Times, told Sawyer that if she had a magic wand, she wishes she could go back in time to try to prevent what happened to her from happening to countless other women.

“I don’t know that I would have been believed,” she admitted. “And who was I to tell? I knew it was disgusting. Like, was I going to tell the concierge who sent me up to the room?” When confronted with old photos of a Vanity Fair Oscar party that were given to GMA by Weinstein, in which the two can be seen holding hands, Judd exclaimed, “Ick!” She continued, “I hoped I wouldn’t pass him, but I did and he obviously grabbed my hand. It’s like, the look on my face is abject terror, like I can see it in my eyes.”

In another clip, Judd says that while she believes there is “hope and help” for everyone, she also admits that if Weinstein is indeed a rapist, that he should go to jail. When asked what she would say to the disgraced producer if she had the chance, however, her message was surprisingly charitable — even if he can never be forgiven for what he’s done to so many women.

“When I spoke at the United Nations on the modern slave trade, I said my prayers beforehand — I said my prayers before I did this — I actually prayed last week and I said ‘Dear God in case I forget to pray, please let this be the prayer,'” Judd told Sawyer. “And what I would say to Harvey is I love you and I understand that you’re sick and you’re suffering, and there’s help for a guy like you, too, and it’s entirely up to you to get that help.”