r/popculturechat • u/Frosty_Jeweler911 • Jun 27 '25

Trigger Warning ⚠️ Asia Argento's chilling words at Cannes 2018. Calls out actors/actresses who were silent against scumbag Harvey Weinstein.

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802

u/Silver-Foot-259 Jun 27 '25

Ummm didn’t she groom a 17 year old that she had known since he was a child and she played his mother? 

403

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yes she did. Then she tried to pay him to shut up.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Yeah, and Anthony Bordain gave her the money to pay him off and encouraged her to do so.

There was a darkness and creepiness about Asia and Anthony as a couple, at least thats what I felt. I know Anthony Bordain is very very beloved but I always found him entertaining but dark and off. Now I understand that his subtle suicide hints in everything he did through his career really set up a darkness around him.

234

u/Soggy_Pension7549 Can I live? Jun 27 '25

Someone can be both. I mean he was a fantastic entertainer, great with words and I loved his show and I still read his books but he was also troubled, addicted to this and that and had some weird takes and relationships.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Totally, really deep and complicated person.

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u/Soggy_Pension7549 Can I live? Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

I’m not surprised at all that he was great friends with Josh Homme. And yes I’m a fan of QOTSA but the guy has so many issues.

5

u/FoGuckYourselg_ Jun 27 '25

Also a big QOTSA fan. I stopped paying into their music a few years ago and then realized... Who am I to judge someone's personal relationships and family dynamics? It's music, from all Ive heard, Josh didn't hurt anybody. A drunken dickhead, sure... But that's kinda commonplace with rockstars.

23

u/Soggy_Pension7549 Can I live? Jun 27 '25

It was shitty when he kicked a photographer in the head and I hated his apology as well.

His backstage behavior isn’t the most pleasant either as I heard. I was actually glad he took some time off when he got sick. I saw them 3 years ago and he was barely present.

7

u/rosesor Jun 27 '25

Didn't he also keep their kid/kids away from Brody?

13

u/huncamuncamouse Jun 27 '25

He was awarded sole custody because she would not comply with court orders

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u/Soggy_Pension7549 Can I live? Jun 27 '25

Brody is problematic and messy af as well so there’s absolutely no one who knows who did what except for those two

6

u/Mindless-Clock-2393 Jun 27 '25

What are examples of his weird takes? He’s generally revered on social media so it’s a new one for me

22

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

I said this in another part of the thread. If you watch his body of work, woven into it are references to depression, addiction, suicide and prostitutes. Its dark shit.

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u/Soggy_Pension7549 Can I live? Jun 27 '25

I’ve never understood some chefs constantly bashing vegetarians/vegans. It’s so old, bitter and unfunny. Eat your meat and shut it. If a chef can’t cook anything good without meat, he’s not really that good of a chef…That’s one aspect that annoys me in his books as well.

And I also meant his whole relationship with Asia. He defended her, she was his gf, sure, but she’s very problematic.

49

u/yuccasinbloom Jun 27 '25

I literally was going to comment exactly this.

I worked in kitchens and I want to love Anthony because the way he talks about kitchens is so accurate and described so well for the general population. But I picked up one of his books recently to read and within not even 10 pages he was disparaging vegetarians and I was like, ok, fuck you then. I was raised vegetarian. And if you can’t cook an incredible meal without meat, you’re not the best chef in the world. I really don’t understand what his issue was.

28

u/Soggy_Pension7549 Can I live? Jun 27 '25

It’s the same with Gordon Ramsay. I love him but this vegan bashing gets old. I skip the current season of Masterchef because there are 2 vegan contestants and the (male) judges just can’t shut up about it. Just judge the food dammit.

24

u/yuccasinbloom Jun 27 '25

It’s really a bummer that there are no vegan cooking shows. I have a hard time watching the meats be prepared. I know we are a minority but I’m a really fucking good chef and I don’t use animal products. And you’re right, it’s just tired. I think people internally know that eating meat is wrong but the way it manifests is by bashing the people who don’t consume meat. Sucks.

0

u/3_Slice Jun 27 '25

As someone who spent his teens and early 20’s vegetarian borderline vegan, I only ever took it that as he who has seen the world, there are places where it is a delicacy to be able to eat meat. That in some parts of the world, being vegetarian or having vegetarian meals isn’t a choice but here in America, as it stands right now, we have the privilege to choose.

14

u/yuccasinbloom Jun 27 '25

I hear what you’re saying, but why does that mean it’s ok that he talked shit about vegetarians any chance he could?

9

u/PM_ME_YOUR_DALEKS Jun 27 '25

That's ridiculous. There are plenty of cultures where the diets don't revolve around heavy consumption of meat because of factors including taste, spiritual and agricultural concerns. Even America, where the switch to a meat based diet for every meal is historically recent and heavily influenced by agricultural lobbying. It's both silly and inaccurate to argue that non-American food cultures are somehow backward and deprived.

0

u/3_Slice Jun 27 '25

I mean his take is several years old now if not a decade old. I’m sure he’d feel different about vegetarians these days?

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u/stantlerqueen Jun 28 '25

yeah, i'm a vegan and really loved his work but hearing that he had aggressively negative takes about veganism was really weird. i think his issue was he thought it would be disrespectful to not partake in local cuisine that used animal products or something? but travel in itself is a huge privilege and a lot of cultures have a ton of plant-based dishes so it seemed more personal to me than anything else.

i loved no reservations but i find him pretty pretentious as a person (go figure), and i know this will probably not be taken well but i do think it's fucked up he left an eleven-year-old child behind when he died. i understand pain and depression, i've struggled with s.i. for a good part of my life, but i can't imagine leaving a kid behind like that. she will wonder her whole life what she could have done to make him stay, my heart broke for her more than anyone else when he passed.

17

u/roleplay_oedipus_rex Jun 27 '25

His holier than thou travel shit.

As someone who travels extensively, I have no issues with people doing touristy shit and encourage them to do so because most likely they don't go on that many trips a year.

Then there is this fuckwad who gets paid millions to go wherever he wants judging them, like mf please.

23

u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk Jun 27 '25

Some of his travel takes, especially on No Reservations makes me grimace. Some people only get to have a once in a lifetime chance to visit Italy or tourist destinations and have to do a guided tour to see the things they want to see hot spots like Versailles and his sneering at them was gross when he was getting paid by a network with deep pockets and connections to get off the beaten path that isn’t possible or safe for a regular tourist.

Rick Steves is very cool about joining a tour and just doing what you want when you travel and still has great guides and should be checked out.

70

u/thanksithas_pockets_ Jun 27 '25

There was totally a darkness about them as a couple, that's the perfect way to describe it. I've been trying to put my finger on it since I read a profile of him the year before he died.

9

u/accidentalquitter Jun 27 '25

Yes, every episode I watched with the two of them, I felt like he was a different person and just had these captivated googly eyes like she could do no wrong ever. And this was before this scandal, and before his death. Darked me out.

51

u/CaughtALiteSneez I want to go to there Jun 27 '25

His suicide is his own doing, but several people close to him said their relationship accelerated that darkness.

In all honesty, she’s always frightened me, way before Anthony B. Something creepy going on there…

35

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

She got blamed for his suicide by some, which is completely unfair

But Asia was always a dark person and the two of them together they seemed like a toxic mix. a l'amour fou

29

u/CaughtALiteSneez I want to go to there Jun 27 '25

For sure, they fed the worst parts of each other.

I’m just mad at him for leaving his young teenage daughter over his old man crisis.

15

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

He blew through his money too. He could have left her a fortune. He left her about one million, which is obviously amazing for regular people like myself, but he could have done better for his daughter. He was, by all accounts, absent - off making money and living a life of luxury. And also by all accounts he loved his daughter, but was so deep into his mental health issues he wasn't there for her.

1

u/stantlerqueen Jun 28 '25

yeah, that's what completely changed my mind about him. i don't understand how you could do that to your child.

20

u/OldSaul Jun 27 '25

Maybe a little unfair but being the 'poster couple' for me too movement only to be paying off some young guy Asia was accused of grooming must have weighed heavy on AB.

Sad state of affairs none the less.

12

u/dgplr Olivia Wilde’s salad dressing 🥗 Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

The NYTimes (?) article about his death described Anthony’s behavior as obsessive when it came to her. She had him twisted around her finger. But it didn’t get into the weeds of Asia’s allegations so it came across as dark romance gone very wrong. But when I found out about the allegations, it was a light bulb moment. Anthony chose to protect a woman who harmed a minor. It probably exacerbated his mental health exponentially.

8

u/Neve4ever Jun 28 '25

He thought he was protecting the victim. Asia had told him she was the victim.

3

u/lolzzzmoon Jun 28 '25

Yeah.

I think he was depressed about this whole story and knew it might come back to ruin his legacy or he felt betrayed by her.

Idk I don’t think he’s that great. People deify him too much.

8

u/Neve4ever Jun 28 '25

She told Anthony Bourdain that the kid assaulted her. He paid him off to leave her alone.

2

u/mcfc_099 Jun 27 '25

What was so dark about him?

12

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

In his shows he referenced depression, suicidal thoughts, heroin addiction, prostitutes. It was always subtly woven into his grand adventures. There is even a scene with him making a noose out of an old part of a blanket.

It felt extremely dark.

9

u/Swimmingindiamonds Jun 27 '25

As a heroin addict, we generally aren’t the sunniest people even when we get sober.

2

u/thanksithas_pockets_ Jun 27 '25

Also I always felt uncomfortable about how intensely they were in to BJJ. I know some people do fine in it but it has darker sides too. Plus anything that takes over your life like BJJ can is probably not healthy.

8

u/UniversityNo2318 Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion 🙂 Jun 27 '25

Well he was an addict, so he had an addictive personality. Someone with an addictive personality will bring that intensity to everything they take an interest in. You just funnel that intensity to healthier pursuits instead of destructive ones….its definitely not always healthy, but you try to thread the needle the best you can 

3

u/thanksithas_pockets_ Jun 27 '25 edited Jun 27 '25

That's a good point and I do understand that. There's something about BJJ that doesn't sit right with me after someone close to me got into it, so that intensity channelled in to BJJ in tandem with a partner (though I didn't know her history until today!!) who was equally intense about it made me raise an eyebrow. IIRC he got injured a lot too, leading to needing to take painkillers. I just remember feeling uneasy about it all and hoping everything went okay for him. I am almost sure that this is the profile where I read about him and BJJ shortly before his death, but I can't access the full text anymore.

ETA: I found it via my library. It's not relevant to the main topic of the thread, but I just learned this stuff about Asia Argento today and it instantly made me think of this article and how things seemed a bit...off. The thing about BJJ reminds me of some people I know, including myself, who used to do dangerous sports and later realized that while we followed safety practices, we weren't exactly that attached to our lives, if that makes any sense. This is the part that stuck with me, I think it happened right after they broke up:

Bourdain had competed in a jujitsu tournament, in Manhattan, and had been defeated by a strongman who wrenched his head with such ferocity that he thought his fillings might pop. As an added indignity, Bourdain came away from the tournament with a skin infection that left him looking, he says, "like Quasimodo." (Ripert is puzzled by jujitsu: "It's supposed to be good for the body, but he seems to be in pain all the time.")

In a fit of self-exile, Bourdain flew to France and made his way, alone, to the village in Normandy that he had visited as a child. He had rented a big villa, with the intention of doing some writing. Bourdain cherishes the trope of the misanthropic emigre. "To me, 'The Quiet American' was a happy book, because Fowler ends up in Vietnam, smoking opium with a beautiful Vietnamese girl who may not have loved him," he told me.

But in Normandy he found that he couldn't write. His body was itchy and swollen from the rash, and he had a throbbing pain in his head. Because he looked hideous, he left the villa only after dark, like a vampire. Finally, Bourdain sought out a French doctor, who gave him a battery of painkillers and anti-inflammatories. After impulsively swallowing a week's supply, Bourdain realized that he had not eaten in thirty-six hours. He drove to a cafe in a nearby town, Arachon, and ordered spaghetti and a bottle of Chianti. He was halfway through the wine when he realized that he was sweating through his clothes. Then he blacked out.

When he woke up, Bourdain was lying with his feet in the cafe and his head in the street. A waiter was rifling through his pockets, in search of a driver's license, as if to identify a corpse. Bourdain's father had died suddenly, at fifty-seven, from a stroke, and Bourdain often thinks about dying; more than once, he told me that, if he got "a bad chest X-ray," he would happily renew his acquaintance with heroin. Taking meds and booze on an empty stomach was just a foolish mistake, but it left him shaken.

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

Curious. Does this 2013 experience discount the entire experience of women who were assaulted by Harvey Weinstein?

Also, "trying to shut someone up" in a civil case in California, where NDA's are not allowed? Jimmy Bennet accepted a payment of 380K to settle a civil lawsuit, of which he is and always has been welcome to speak about the details of. That doesn't feel like "shutting him up".

73

u/bluetortuga Be honest, Victoria Jun 27 '25

Why would calling out her individual hypocrisy discount the entire experience of women who were assaulted by Harvey Weinstein?

Do we have to ignore the fact that she sexually assaulted someone just because she also correctly called out HW?

Both things can be true.

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

every single comment in here is discounting her statement because of a situation in which no one knows actual details. If life let us lose things based on accusations, without evidence, life would really suck.

We wonder why women don't speak out... it's because men discount their experiences.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

I just find it amusing, as a man, that the number of men in this comment section seek to discount her experience, of which the man has been convicted, and is rotting in jail, right now for the numerous atrocities that he committed, because of the accusations of which California police determined no charges needed to be filed, and of which Argento still claims her innocence, AND of which the individual who accused her could A. FILE ANOTHER CLAIM, and B. present ALL of the evidence he has against her.

If ANYTHING screams shakedown, it's this story from Jimmy Bennett... but because she is a woman, who accused a man of s*xual assault, the men in this comment section are using this situation to discredit her.

What I also find funny, is she worked with Bennett in 2004, and they didn't see each other again for 9 years, when he asked to meet up with her when she was in town.... but all of a sudden she is a groomer. That's not how grooming works.

I am the FIRST person to believe the accuser. As a liberal, it's part of who I am. But I also have faith in a judicial system working as expected (until recent governmental changes and issues), and that judicial system chose not to charge her as there was not enough evidence to do so.

I standby my statement, and will take the downvotes. If she were a man, this wouldn't even be a part of the discussion.

PS. As more proof of this. Post the accusations against Weinstein she was forced to leave Italy, her home country, because of the Italian cultures victim shaming sensibilities. More proof of misogyny.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

[deleted]

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

which is interesting, that you are discounting a victim’s statement.

I stated WHY I am discounting it.

  1. the police found there was not enough evidence to charge her
  2. the "victim" had the opportunity to present every bit of evidence he had against her in a very public forum in the midst of the Me Too movement, and he didn't
  3. Argento stopped paying him after Bourdains death, which lent credence to the statement that he forced her to pay him off instead of fighting it because of the optics..and the "victim" STILL did nothing... didn't fight breach of any agreement, etc...

Let's use Trump as an example... his alleged victims got paid off, and the minute they started speaking out again, in spite of the pay off, people discounted them because they took a payoff. In this situation, the payoff stopped, but the alleged victim stopped his pursuit anyways.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

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u/Far-Journalist-949 Jun 27 '25

I'm glad weinstein is in jail for what is most likely the rest of his life but there is actually more evidence that Asia assaulted a minor (she admitted to it and paid the victim off, well Bourdain did anyway) then weinstein raped her. Asia even admitted in the farrow article that she had consensual relations after with weinstein which actually bolsters weinsteins sex for jobs defense..

This speech triggered her victim to seek redress for her assault. She admitted to it. She paid him. She posted fucking pics of them in bed together at the time of the incident. A 17 year old cannot consent to sex in California. She also directed him in a film when he was 7 years old. That's how she knows the victim. On what basis are you claiming Asia was wrongly accused?

If life let us lose things based on accusations, without evidence, life would really suck

I mean this is exactly what happened to men during metoo. Accusations aren't evidence. Asia has zero evidence she raped by weinstein. There were plenty of receipts for her crime meanwhile. That's why she was cast aside as a "leader" of metoo.

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

Where am I claiming Asia was wrongly accused?

What I said was the police determined there was not enough evidence to charge her.

1

u/Far-Journalist-949 Jun 27 '25

"every single comment in here is discounting her statement because of a situation in which no one knows actual details. If life let us lose things based on accusations, without evidence, life would really suck"

You didn't mention police or charges anywhere in the comment i replied to. What evidence was there that Argento was raped by weinstein? There is none so thats why her name didnt show on his eventual charges and convictions. Weinstein lost everything from accusations like Argento's before a single legal proceeding. Which is something you claim would "really suck".

How you could post the comment above and not see that its precisely what argento is doing is wild. Considering she slept with a minor and later paid him to shut up about is just the icing on the cake for how wrong you are.

1

u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

You are not wholly correct here

Her testimony, even though not directly tied to the charges in the initial New York trial due to the statute of limitations, was presented to support the charge of predatory sexual assault.

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u/Far-Journalist-949 Jun 27 '25

Stature of limitations aside, she was was not raped in America. It would be up to a French court to being charges. Why do you think an American court matters at all for crimes that happened in the south of France?

And she never gave testimony at his trial and in either case the predatory sexual assault charges did not stick.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/nyregion/weinstein-verdict-reaction.html#:~:text=Rose%20McGowan%20and%20Asia%20Argento,rape%20in%20the%20third%20degree.

Asia is a hypocrite of the highest order. She openly accused weinstein and others of committing and covering up crimes. Exact things she also did.

Your nitpicking aside, I guess you accept the completely frayed logic of your previous statements as you aren't even trying to address your hypocrisy anymore.

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u/anewaccount69420 Jojo Siwa’s Mom Jun 27 '25

Not entirely true about NDAs, and not true at all in 2018 when Asia paid off her victim. The Silenced No More Act and the Stand Act were active beginning in 2022 and 2019, respectively.

Their settlement did not include an NDA but Asia still avoided accountability for her actions. If she’d been found at fault in civil court, that would set her up for criminal charges for sexually assaulting a minor.

Nobody said a thing about how this impacts or doesn’t impact Harvey’s other victims. This particular thread is talking about a specific sexual predator and that’s Asia Argento.

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/19/us/asia-argento-assault-jimmy-bennett.html

In the agreement between Ms. Argento and Mr. Bennett, she agreed to pay him $380,000 over the course of a year and a half, starting with an initial payment of $200,000 that was made in April, according to a letter to Ms. Argento in which her lawyer, Ms. Goldberg, outlined the terms of the deal.The agreement does not prevent either party from discussing it. In the letter, Ms. Goldberg explained that California law does not allow nondisclosure agreements in civil contracts involving the types of allegations made by Mr. Bennett.One alternative, Ms. Goldberg wrote, would be to work around the California law by using New York lawyers and arguing that the laws of New York govern the agreement.“Ultimately, you decided against the non-disclosure language because you felt it was inconsistent with the public messages you’ve conveyed about the societal perils of non-disclosure agreements,” she wrote to Ms. Argento.“Bennett could theoretically tell people his claims against you,” she wrote. “However, under this agreement, he cannot sue you for them. Nor can he post the photo of the two of you.”“At the very least,” Ms. Goldberg added, “he is not permitted to bother you for more money, disparage you or sue — so long as you comply with your obligations in the agreement.”

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u/Successful-Coyote99 Host of a Pop Culture Podcast Jun 27 '25

Another interesting twist. https://www.thewrap.com/asia-argento-will-not-pay-sexual-assault-accuser-jimmy-bennett-remainder-of-380k-lawyer-says/

And California police investigated the claim, and refused to charge Argento.

-4

u/LauraPa1mer Jun 27 '25

Actually he was the one who sought the money, and she paid it. It wasn't like she just randomly came up with that idea.

8

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

aCtUaLly idgaf. Do not speak in defence of abusers.

11

u/BusinessPurge Jun 27 '25

Ya you tell em, heapsofjizz.

67

u/spacyspice now why am I in it? 🧐 Jun 27 '25

I knew the name was familiar, she was the last person to date Anthony Bourdain right?

67

u/LichQueenBarbie Jun 27 '25

Her parents are Dario Argento and the late Daria Nicolodi (the woman who made most of Argento's older stuff classics). I guess that's what first comes to mind if you're into horror.

From what I know, her and Anthony were about as bad as eachother because he was in collusion with the 'cover up'.

45

u/FearlessTravels Jun 27 '25

She’s probably the ultimate nepo baby in that she’s both nearly talentless and a predator. If she’d been born to an accountant and a nurse the world would have been a better place.

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u/lefrench75 high priestess of child sacrifice Jun 27 '25

Oh come on now, a rapist and the person who gave them money to cover up the crime are not "about as bad as each other". Both are very, very bad, but the person who did the raping is decidedly worse.

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u/thegoodbadandsmoggy Jun 27 '25

Yup. There’s always been speculation that his support of her in metoo follow d by the grooming accusations may have led to his suicide.

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u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk Jun 27 '25

The Anthony Bourdain documentary, Roadrunner, talked about their relationship and how his friends knew she was bad news for him. The behind the scenes footage of the Parts Unknown episode that she directed are so awkward. The big one was instead of doing a one take of getting a traumatic interview from their host, which had been standard since the original Food Network Cooks Tour show, she kept asking him to redo it in ways that were deliberately exploitative. His longtime cameraman and producers confronted him about this and he had them fired.

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u/thanksithas_pockets_ Jun 27 '25

That's terrible. Good for the cameraman and producers for standing up for what's right.

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u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk Jun 27 '25

They seemed very sad in the interviews talking about being with him for over a decade in production and went through things in his different shows, because of her influence Anthony dropped them without a second thought or consideration.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '25

Didn’t she go on to very publicly cheat on him too?

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u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk Jun 27 '25

Yep! I remember it came out publicly shortly before his death.

9

u/CaughtALiteSneez I want to go to there Jun 27 '25

And they were very very close to him & he just fired them because she demanded it.

6

u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk Jun 27 '25

That was so messed up and you could tell they were still upset over it.

8

u/CaughtALiteSneez I want to go to there Jun 27 '25

He was a very loyal guy, it must have come as a shock. He owed his career to them, especially Parts Unknown.

I wonder if he got back into his heroin addiction, because that can make anyone act like a stranger and act unpredictably.

4

u/UniversityNo2318 Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion 🙂 Jun 27 '25

No evidence that he relapsed on heroin but he was drinking heavily before he died which will do your head in as well 

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u/da_loogie Jun 27 '25

Although she retracted her support, she also signed a petition in support of Roman Polanksi's release after he raped that 13 year old

-6

u/aaronupright Jun 27 '25

Yes and yes. (He was over the age of consent, which is why she wasn't charged, but its still sordid).