The #MeToo men are getting their comeback tours. The women they hurt won't be.
Just months after they were publicly exposed, the men of #MeToo would like to announce that they've served their sentences on their time out stools, and are ready to return to the playground.
The list is long. Garrison Keiller, accused of "dozens of offenses" over a period "of years," plans to bring back two of his radio shows, and public access to his past shows have been reopened. (Oh, and he's on tour.) Meanwhile, Matt Lauer, who not only harassed women but also allegedly assaulted at least one of them, has reportedly left his Hamptons mansion-cell and is ready to rejoin society — he's been seen lunching in Manhattan. Mario Batali is supposedly "eyeing his second act" after reportedly abusing multiple women over the years, whether by harassing or physically groping them.
These men who've done lasting damage are already being embraced by audiences unwilling to hold them accountable in the first place. Left out of the narratives are the women they hurt, many of whom lost their careers or left their industries as a result of the abuse. Those women don't have the luxury of "returning" to public life. And they won't be getting a fawning Hollywood Reporter profile anytime soon.
It's infuriating, and hard to ignore as a spate of "redemption stories" hit the papers. Louis Faranda, executive talent producer for Caroline's comedy club, told The Hollywood Reporter that Louis C.K. would likely return to the comedy scene within a year, "making fun of his mistakes." Eileen Koch, founder of public relations company Eileen Koch and Company, doesn't think C.K. needs to wait that long, according to the article—as long as he gives a sincere apology. Meanwhile, Batali's restaurants continue to draw impressive crowds and his fans still stop him on the street to ask for selfies.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Glenn Thrush, the New York Times reporter accused of going after young women and spreading misinformation about them when they didn't return his advances, was punished for his alleged misdeeds by ... getting a different dream job at the Times. The poor man is now relegated to covering the federal housing beat. Imagine.
Let's not even look at the audiences lining up for Bill Cosby's latest comedy splash.
What we do need to do is look for the women who were hurt by these men, whether directly or indirectly. Most of the time, they've left the public stage altogether. While Matt Lauer was busy collecting his $20 million a year salary — even as he reportedly harassed women and sent one to the hospital — his female coworkers were forced out of their jobs. Lauer was reportedly responsible for helping to oust Ann Curry, his female cohost on Today, after she served for 10 years on the show. Both Tamron Hall and Natalie Morales lost their jobs during Lauer's uninterrupted, unearned reign.
"Curry felt that the boys’ club atmosphere behind the scenes at Today undermined her from the start, and she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture," CNN's Brian Stelter wrote for the New York Times Magazine. "The growing indifference of Matt Lauer, her co-host, had hurt the most."
None of these women are back on air, and they're certainly not getting effusive write-ups.
They're not alone. Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov, who both accused Louis CK of sexual misconduct, said speaking up about the comedian forever damaged their professional reputations. Gretchen Carlson claimed she was fired for refusing Roger Ailes' sexual advances. She hasn't been on the air in two years.
Actress Tara Subkoff, one of Harvey Weinstein's many victims, said it was "impossible for me to get work as an actress after this."
Weinstein, meanwhile, just sold his New York City townhouse for a cool $20 million, no bigs.
There's debate to be had about when at least some of these men can return to public life, if at all. But we should be far more concerned with how readily forgiveness has been granted to them — and how sparingly it's proffered to women convicted of far lesser crimes.
Hillary Clinton has still never been forgiven for her email server mismanagement, while Donald Trump secured the presidency after mocking the disabled, calling for a Muslim ban, and allegedly assaulting or harassing upwards of 20 women. She'll never live down her "deplorables" comment, never be forgiven for failing to visit Wisconsin, and is still being forced to reckon with her "unlikeable personality." She's not even running for anything!
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
And, as a political comparison, how are Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus, and Corey Lewandowski, a trio of men a trio of men who ceded their integrity for the chance to eat steak at the White House, doing, you ask? Mighty fine, thank you! All three of them have enjoyed their newfound glory as Visiting Fellows at Harvard's prestigious Kennedy School.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Sean Spicer also had a special guest appearance at least year's Emmy's.
If there's anything the past two years have taught us, it's that forgiveness is a gift offered far too readily to America's most privileged. Charlie Rose will be just fine, playing tennis and hiding out eating buttermilk chicken in his mansion. Louis CK can get another job. I'm confident some children's birthday party company, somewhere, would be glad to have Sean Spicer on board as their official Easter Bunny.
Too bad we're not lifting up the women who did nothing wrong in the first place.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
