Rose McGowan distances herself from Asia Argento: ‘My heart is broken’

Asia Argento and Rose McGowan participate in a parade on International Women's Day in Rome

I name-checked Rose McGowan in the story about Asia Argento for several reasons. I’m not going to pretend to be the most eloquent or the most educated on this subject, but I’m going to try to explain my rationale as best I can. I’ve thought for some time now that Rose McGowan and Asia Argento have largely done a disservice to the “movement” they’ve claimed to lead. I never doubted their stories, and I’ve never doubted that Harvey Weinstein victimized them along with dozens, if not hundreds, of other women. But Asia and Rose both brought a sort of narcissism to their victimhood, and they tended to make everything about how their pain, to the exclusion of other victims. Asia, as we now know, was doing all of that performative victimhood while she was quietly paying off a young man she groomed, victimized and raped.

As for Rose… as I’ve said many times before, I want the best for her. I want her to be well and healthy. But I also acknowledge that she’s a complete a–hole, a racist and utterly transphobic. That’s all part and parcel with Rose’s belief that there is a hierarchy of victimhood and she is at the top of that hierarchy as the most victimized person ever. So what do you make of this? Rose is making the choice to speak publicly about Asia Argento… and Rose is distancing herself from Asia.

I honestly thought Rose and Asia knew each other for a lot longer than ten months? Did they only meet and get to know each other through Ronan Farrow or something? That’s a very strange timeline. But still, it’s interesting, isn’t it? After months of being joined at the hip, suddenly Rose can’t walk away fast enough. And to be 100% clear, nowhere am I saying that “Rose should have known.” Asia was a victim AND a predator, and like many predators, she hid the unpleasant, predatory side from friends, family and the public. I believe Rose didn’t know. I also just believe that Rose and Asia never should have been the faces of this movement in the first place.

Asia Argento and Rose McGowan participate in a parade on International Women's Day in Rome

Asia Argento and Rose McGowan participate in a parade on International Women's Day in Rome

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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47 Responses to “Rose McGowan distances herself from Asia Argento: ‘My heart is broken’”

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  1. Kaz says:

    They were always lousy spokespersons for the MeToo movement. And many people were attacked and accused of wanting perfect victims when they said that. Both are massive attention-seeking narcissists.

    • Lee says:

      I agree. My problem with many, if not most, of the MeToo spokepeople is that lots of them seem to use the movement as a rebounce for a dead/not exciting career (another example, Amber Tamblyn).

      • otaku fairy... says:

        I don’t have a problem with victims making lemonade of their lemons because exposing abuse and harassment are things that often get used to derail careers and reputations. But Rose has definitely been problematic in the way she’s gone about it.

      • Oliviajoy1995 says:

        My feelings exactly but regarding Nicole Eggert. Her story seemed like a desperate ploy for attention.

    • Megan says:

      If Rose and Asia hadn’t come out so publicly against Weinstein he would still be a Hollywood power player free to abuse women. I give Rose a little leeway because she genuinely wanted Weinstein exposed. I can’t begin to guess Asia’s motivations.

      • anna2222222 says:

        I agree Megan, if we waited for a “perfect” victim to have the strength to speak out, the harvey’s of this world would still be out there (and many are). I’m horrified that Asia is a predator but that doesn’t erase what has been done to her.

      • SM says:

        I agree with Megan. Despite being problematic they both deserve credit where credit is due, they were the first to speak oimut on record against that monster.

      • Shasha says:

        Let’s also be aware of the fact that MANY predators specifically target women who are as far from “perfect victim” as possible (targeting the mentally ill, addicted, women in prison, prostitutes) for that exact reason – fewer people are likely to believe or sympathize with her, more people are likely to question her motives.

        Just look at that 20-something year old cop from a few years ago who was convicted of serially raping middle aged black women who in many cases drug users/prostitutes.

    • Anika says:

      Agree w you.

  2. FLORC says:

    The statement was brief and on time. No open end.

    It’s not right and not uncommon a survivor becomes a predator. Asia knew what she did. Maybe felt she was above being held accountable? Or that her pain as a victim calling for the accountability from abusers didn’t apply to her victim?

  3. SJhere says:

    I am glad that women are speaking out. I certainly don’t know either of these 2 IRL but, I do not care for either of them.
    Isn’t Asai A. the woman Tony Bourdain was so in love with? I got a gut feeling that she was using him for publicity to open her to the US market.

    • Chrissy says:

      I always thought she might have been using his fame. I’m so sorry that he’s gone but glad he’s not around to witness this and get drawn into the backlash.

  4. Honey bear says:

    This is going down in flames quickly. The perpetual victims.

  5. BaBaDook says:

    This makes me sad for Rose McGowan. I’m not a fan or anything, and I agree that she’s not been the best spokeswoman for the #metoo movement but she is someone who went through trauma and thought she’d found a kindred spirit in Argento. Imagine how betrayed you’d feel if you thought someone shared this horrible experience with you, only to find out that they’re an abuser too.

  6. Mira says:

    And then she tweeted this:

    https://twitter.com/rosemcgowan/status/1031535197433602048

    *groans* Way to ruin it, Rose.

    • Rapunzel says:

      Ugh… doesn’t get, and likely never will. “Be gentle”? GTFOH.

    • Jenn says:

      Ugh…. the truth of the situation? – it was a gross re-do of what happened to Asia herself.
      Wtf.
      I feel so bad for the 17 year old. He plays her victim son as a little kid and then she pulls this re-enactment crap ten years later on him. The picture of the two of them and their “happiest reunion” from her Instagram makes me sad, his eyes are very sad.

    • Zapp Brannigan says:

      And Rosanna Arquette is on there commenting that this is a set up? What the heck is wrong with these people?

      I hope the young man at the middle of all this is surrounded by very supportive family and friends today.

      • Becka says:

        That’s effed up! It’s basically stating that you should only believe a victim when it doesn’t implicate one of your “friends”.

        The poor guy hope he’s surrounded by good people today!!

    • Lisa Giametti says:

      What is worse is Rosanna Arquette replying that the story regarding Argento is a set up.

    • otaku fairy... says:

      This is an ironic reaction from her considering she was all for the “You knew! Complicit!” bandwagon when it was directed at other actresses who’d worked with Harvey Weinstein (and we’ve all seen the way the right/misogynists have exploited that).
      I believe that Rose really didn’t know about Asia being a predator, and don’t see her as to blame for it/tainted by being friends with someone who turned out to be a predator at all. But she’s defending her now.

    • Oliviajoy1995 says:

      Yeah, Rose is the worst. Always.

  7. TheOriginalMia says:

    Those two have always been problematic spokeswomen for MeToo for me. I had genuine issues with their approach to hijacking the spotlight, forcing others into the shadow. Tarana Burke started the movement, but those two and others recentered it to white women to the exclusion of black victims. I’m not surprised an abuse victim became an abuser. Unfortunately, it does happen. They want to regain their power and often do it by taking away another person’s power.

    I thought they were friends for longer than the movement too. Actually kudos to Rose for calling her out and distancing herself. More should.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      3 white women – Alyssa Milano co-opted it along with Rose and Asia.

      • Becka says:

        I give Milano some leyway as she has said time and time again that it was Tarana who started it.

        Tarana’s twitter had a great thread on it atm.

  8. Lisa Giametti says:

    Both women do a disservice to the movement.

  9. Jessie says:

    Both of them high jacked the metoo movement and should never have been considered leaders. Rose should sit down along and let the black woman who actually started this get her due.

  10. Digital Unicorn says:

    There seemed to be some sort of ‘my pain is bigger and more important than your’ competition going on with these 2 and others who came forward after them. I hope it doesn’t damage the movement, maybe now the celebrities who co-opted the name/movement can step aside and let the original founder step forward and lead.

  11. Annaloo. says:

    The #MeToo movement is beyond them both, and too big to be side tracked by scandal. Sexual assault is sexual assault, and the fight must go on, and if it means the “leadership” changes, or it metamorphosizes into its next iteration. There is no perfect execution of any political movement or cause, but we must keep the eye on preventing more assault victims in the future.

    It may sound callous, but this is not about heralding people or titles or anything like this. This is about justice and all the forms that it is due.

    Asia. Thank you for your bravery, and fuck you for your hypocrisy.

    • Renee2 says:

      ANNALOO,

      I am going to choose to be of a similar mindset to yours. The movement is bigger than them and there remains work to be done. No movement is perfect and there are always people who f up things for others but it shouldn’t be derailed by this and hopefully it won’t be. They were self appointed leaders in the movement, they weren’t elected.

  12. Zapp Brannigan says:

    They HAVE know each other a lot longer than a few months,

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba1Zlc8nMMf/?hl=en

    Maybe Rose should check what pictures Asia posted on insta the next time she denies anything.

    These two have made a mockery of the work others have done to give a voice to those that needed to be heard.

    • Jamie says:

      Wow. Way to bring the receipts.

    • themummy says:

      She didn’t say they just met 10 months ago. Re-read the tweet. She said they just got to know each other 10 months ago, which they likely did through all of this Harvey Weinstein stuff.

      There are people I’ve “known” for a long time that I didn’t really get to know for whatever reason until later. I have known my current best friend for 16 years because we had friends in common, but we only actually got to know each other and became close two years ago when we ended up taking the same class together. It happens.

    • marymoon says:

      wow.
      10 months . . . 15 years . . . . c’mon, who’s counting.

  13. Renee2 says:

    I also think that it is interesting that these two women were presented as being the face/ leaders of this “movement”, co-opting it and reshaping it to be about the takedown if Harvey Weinstein when it was started by a woman of colour to speak about sexual assault that was experienced by women of colour…I agree that there was an undertone (in Argento’s case) and an overtone (in McGowan’s) of narcissism to their posturing/activism.

  14. JOANA says:

    Rose Mcgowan,Asia Argento,Ronan Farrow and this ONLY WHITE ROUND TABLE DOESNT SPEAK FOR ME.

    • Lucy says:

      Ermm….Ronan has repeatedly given credit to Tarana Burke and has done panels with her?

      • Anna says:

        Lovs Ronan but still feel he could have done a lot more to credit her in his writing. Her name and work has largely been an afterthought in the media.

  15. Cey says:

    And so the revolution devours its own…

  16. Pamm says:

    Rose is a bloody liar. On October 2017, Asia posted a pic of both of them that they took in 2013. She did not just meet Asia 10 months ago.

    • themummy says:

      She didn’t say they just met 10 months ago. Re-read the tweet. She said they just got to know each other 10 months ago, which they likely did through all of this Harvey Weinstein stuff.

  17. themummy says:

    She could not have possibly known this about Asia. She acknowledged it right away, distanced herself, and that’s really all she could have done and was the right thing to do. I can’t fault her for this. I can fault her for a bunch of other things, but not this. She is not guilty by association as long as she no longer associates.

  18. greenmonster says:

    So, in November 2017 she tweeted that basically the first rule should be BELIEVING SURVIVORS. Not sure why this doesn’t apply here… hm… Is it because the victim is male? Is it because the accused is a woman? Or is it because the aggressor is a friend of hers?

    If it would have been a man, Rose would call her Rosearmy to crucify him, but because the accused is female there must be more to this story. Sure – more will come out and explain the situation because reasons. Rose is a hypocrite and an a$$hole. Always has been. I think it is devastating that both women are so deeply connected to the #metoo movement in the public eye.

  19. Morrissey says:

    I think Rose needs a lot of help that she just isn’t getting. We are watching her psychosis play out in real time on social media, all as she heralds it as her metamorphosis into a higher being. She’s still aware enough to try and distance herself from Asia, and she’s aware enough to try and do damage control over her racist and transphobic actions – working with trans POC and having them speak about how much they love Rose – but it doesn’t seem like there will be too much time before something will blow up. Metaphorically, I hope.