‘Mad Men’ Creator Matthew Weiner Accused of Sexual Harassment by Writer Kater Gordon
Gordon won an Emmy award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series with Weiner for her work on "Mad Men."
Zack Sharf
Nov 9, 2017 5:08 pm
Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock
Matthew Weiner, best known as the creator of “Mad Men,” has been accused of sexual harassment by Kater Gordon. Gordon first started as Weiner’s personal assistant before being promoted to his writers assistant and then later a staff writer on the acclaimed AMC drama series. Gordon won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series alongside Weiner in 2009 for writing the episode “Meditations In An Emergency.”
In an interview with The Information, Gordon says she was harassed by Weiner late one night when he allegedly said to her that she owed it to him to let him see her naked. She says she “froze and tried to brush [the comments] off” by continuing to work with Weiner that evening in the office. Gordon believed it was “lose-lose situation,” as confronting Weiner would “end her career” and not confronting him would “make it impossible to work with him.”
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“I knew immediately when he crossed the boundary that it was wrong,” Gordon told The Information. “But I didn’t know then what my options were. Having a script or some sentences cued up as an arsenal— like a self-defense harassment arsenal—I could have used that in that moment, and it would have saved me years of regret that I didn’t handle that situation differently.”
A year after the alleged incident, Gordon was let go from “Mad Men.” Her removal from the writers room sparked headlines at the time questioning why Weiner’s longtime assistant and writing partner would be let go from the series, especially after winning the Emmy.
“I had the Emmy, but instead of being able to use that as a launch pad for the rest of my career, it became an anchor because I felt I had to answer to speculative stories in the press,” she said. “I eventually walked away instead of fighting back.”
A spokesperson for Weiner issued the following statement: “Mr. Weiner spent eight to ten hours a day writing dialogue aloud with Miss Gordon, who started on ‘Mad Men’ as his writers assistant. He does not remember saying this comment nor does it reflect a comment he would say to any colleague.”
Gordon says she shared what Weiner told her to a number of confidants over the years, several of which confirmed the allegation to The Information. The writer has not worked in television since leaving “Mad Men” and is currently forming a nonprofit to help victims of sexual harassment called Modern Alliance. Weiner is currently developing the Amazon drama series “The Romanoffs.”
The Information was the first outlet to publish Kim Masters’ Amazon allegations, in which it was revealed that Price allegedly made sexual remarks to producer Isa Hackett in July 2015 at San Diego Comic-Con.
http://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/ma...nt-assistant-kater-gordon-mad-men-1201895936/
Gordon won an Emmy award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series with Weiner for her work on "Mad Men."
Zack Sharf
Nov 9, 2017 5:08 pm
Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock
Matthew Weiner, best known as the creator of “Mad Men,” has been accused of sexual harassment by Kater Gordon. Gordon first started as Weiner’s personal assistant before being promoted to his writers assistant and then later a staff writer on the acclaimed AMC drama series. Gordon won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series alongside Weiner in 2009 for writing the episode “Meditations In An Emergency.”
In an interview with The Information, Gordon says she was harassed by Weiner late one night when he allegedly said to her that she owed it to him to let him see her naked. She says she “froze and tried to brush [the comments] off” by continuing to work with Weiner that evening in the office. Gordon believed it was “lose-lose situation,” as confronting Weiner would “end her career” and not confronting him would “make it impossible to work with him.”
News Film TV Awards Toolkit More Search Louis C.K. Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Five Women, Reportedly Asked to Masturbate in Front of Them
“I knew immediately when he crossed the boundary that it was wrong,” Gordon told The Information. “But I didn’t know then what my options were. Having a script or some sentences cued up as an arsenal— like a self-defense harassment arsenal—I could have used that in that moment, and it would have saved me years of regret that I didn’t handle that situation differently.”
A year after the alleged incident, Gordon was let go from “Mad Men.” Her removal from the writers room sparked headlines at the time questioning why Weiner’s longtime assistant and writing partner would be let go from the series, especially after winning the Emmy.
“I had the Emmy, but instead of being able to use that as a launch pad for the rest of my career, it became an anchor because I felt I had to answer to speculative stories in the press,” she said. “I eventually walked away instead of fighting back.”
A spokesperson for Weiner issued the following statement: “Mr. Weiner spent eight to ten hours a day writing dialogue aloud with Miss Gordon, who started on ‘Mad Men’ as his writers assistant. He does not remember saying this comment nor does it reflect a comment he would say to any colleague.”
Gordon says she shared what Weiner told her to a number of confidants over the years, several of which confirmed the allegation to The Information. The writer has not worked in television since leaving “Mad Men” and is currently forming a nonprofit to help victims of sexual harassment called Modern Alliance. Weiner is currently developing the Amazon drama series “The Romanoffs.”
The Information was the first outlet to publish Kim Masters’ Amazon allegations, in which it was revealed that Price allegedly made sexual remarks to producer Isa Hackett in July 2015 at San Diego Comic-Con.
http://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/ma...nt-assistant-kater-gordon-mad-men-1201895936/
