EXCLUSIVE: Harvey Weinstein’s condition is deteriorating rapidly, even though he underwent heart surgery today.
The multiple-accused and jailed producer was due to appear in a Manhattan court this week ahead of a second trial on sexual assault and other sex crimes charges. Last night he was taken from Rikers Island to Bellevue Hospital after experiencing chest pains. This morning, Weinstein, 72, underwent surgery.
However, Weinstein, who is already in poor health, is said to be in “very bad shape,” I hear. “Critical condition,” another person familiar with the events told Deadline about the ex-mogul’s condition.
Given numerous cases of Covid and other medical problems in the six years since Weinstein was arrested on rape charges, the pulp Fiction EP has been close to death before and survived. Weinstein’s representatives confirmed his surgery on Monday but offered no further comment on the aftermath.
“According to Craig Rothfeld and Juda Engelmayer, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized representatives, Mr. Weinstein was admitted to Bellevue Hospital last night for a variety of health reasons,” Weinstein’s longtime spokesman Engelmayer said Monday afternoon.
“We can confirm that Mr. Weinstein underwent a heart procedure and surgery today, but cannot comment further,” Engelmayer added. “As we have detailed, Mr. Weinstein suffers from a variety of serious health issues that require ongoing care. We are grateful to the leadership team at the New York City Department of Correction and Rikers Island for quickly transporting him to Bellevue Hospital.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request from Deadline about recent developments in Weinstein’s health, which often conveniently deteriorates as court hearings approach. Weinstein and his defense team are scheduled to appear before Judge Curtis Faber in a courtroom at 100 Centre Street on September 12.
Although the hearing is still on the calendar, it is almost certain that it will not take place, regardless of whether Weinstein’s condition improves or not.
In May 2018, she was accused of rape and arrested after the New York Times In late 2017, Weinstein detailed decades of abuse and alleged assaults and was convicted of first-degree sexual assault and third-degree rape in February 2020 after two women, Mimi Haley and Jessica Mann, made allegations against him.
Weinstein was serving time at Rikers because he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for sex crimes in Los Angeles in 2022. In April, the 2020 convictions and 23-year sentence were overturned by a divided Empire State appeals court. That move led Weinstein’s lawyers to formally appeal his LA conviction in June. Last month, a Manhattan judge in July set a tentative Nov. 12 start date for Weinstein’s retrial in the East Coat rape case.
Sean Piccoli contributed to this post
