Harvey Weinstein Taking Leave of Absence ... Admits Misconduct with Actresses, Employees

10/5/2017 12:36 PM PDT

Harvey Weinstein Taking Leave of Absence Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

Breaking News

Harvey Weinstein allegedly asked Ashley Judd if he could give her a massage during a business meeting -- that's just one of the multiple sexual harassment allegations pushing the Hollywood honcho to step down temporarily.

The Weinstein Co. founder is in crisis mode due to a New York Times investigation claiming he engaged in sexual harassment and misconduct with actresses, former assistants and employees over a 3-decade period. The Judd incident allegedly went down 20 years ago when Weinstein invited her to his Beverly Hills hotel. She expected a business breakfast meeting, but was instead whisked to his room where ... according to the report, Weinstein was wearing a bathrobe and made the creepy proposal.

The report says Weinstein's reached at least 8 settlements with women over the years -- the most recent with an Italian model in 2015.

Weinstein -- the studio exec behind 6 Best Picture Oscars, including "Pulp Fiction" and "Good Will Hunting" -- told the Times he "came of age in the 60s and 70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then."

He went on to quote Jay-Z's "4:44" track "I'm not the man I thought I was and I better be that man for my children" and asked for a second chance.