Disgraced TV and film producer, Harvey Weinstein, is taking credit for Yellowstone‘s success… from his jail cell on Riker’s Island.
It’s almost been 10 years since the #MeToo movement, which ran rampant in 2017 and rightfully ended the careers of many of the scummiest people in entertainment and Hollywood. One of the most notable names that was taken down during that time was Harvey Weinstein, the now infamous Hollywood executive who co-founded Miramax.
Three years after Weinstein was accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct, the film producer was convicted of sexual assault and rape in 2020. That resulted in a 23-year prison sentence, which he is currently serving at the Rikers Island facility in New York City. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he spends 23 hours a day in his solitary cell (for medical and safety concerns).
How does THR know? Because they sent a reporter out to talk to Weinstein, which ended up being his first major interview since he was put behind bars. There were plenty of topics touched on during the conversation, but the one that’s really become a head-scratcher is… Harvey Weinstein taking credit for Yellowstone.
While speaking about his relationship with his estranged brother Bob, and the fall of The Weinstein Company, Weinstein randomly implied that he’s to thank for Yellowstone being successful:
“I built our television company. People don’t know this, but one of the last things I did was bring Taylor Sheridan to ‘Yellowstone.’ Sheridan wanted to cast Robert Redford, but I said, ‘You need to get Kevin Costner.’ And it became a massive hit. But then this happened, and people forget.”
Definitely gives off old man (and person who is rightfully stuck by himself for 23 hours a day) rambling about something vibes.
I’m thinking that Weinstein meant to say he’s the one that brought Yellowstone to The Weinstein Company, and not Sheridan “to ‘Yellowstone.'” Obviously, Taylor Sheridan was a co-creator of Yellowstone along with John Linson, so no one needed to bring him to it. Instead, he was trying to bring the show to various networks after he created it.
All that being said, Harvey Weinstein was associated with Yellowstone when it was first green lit. The #MeToo movement happened in the later portion of 2017. Paramount had given the green light to Yellowstone in May of that year, and Weinstein was originally listed as an executive producer for the series. Once the serious allegations came out against Harvey Weinstein, he and his Weinstein Company were removed from the credits of the hit show.
As far as the Robert Redford-Kevin Costner portion of Weinstein’s quote, there are some credible rumors out there that Robert Redford was the initial choice by Sheridan. It hadn’t been reported that Weinstein was the one that pushed for Costner, but considering the timing of Yellowstone‘s start, and the downfall of the film and TV producer… those around the show were probably just trying to separate themselves from Weinstein as much as they could.
I’m hoping that Taylor Sheridan comes out and calls Weinstein’s claims BS, but he’s usually not the type to willingly provide headline-worthy quotes.
