In 2006, Tarana Burke coined the phrase "Me Too" as a way to help women who had survived sexual violence. Fast-forward more than 10 years, and the phrase has been reignited as the slogan of the anti-sexual harassment movement. A movement that has rocked some of the most powerful men in entertainment and politics. A movement whose timeline continues to rapidly build. Read our full coverage and commentary of the #MeToo movement.
June 13, 2019
Actor
May 28, 2019
Ellen DeGeneres appears on an episode of
May 20, 2019
Actor Jason Mitchell is fired by his agent and manager, and dropped from the next season of "The Chi: as well as the upcoming Netflix movie "Desperados." According to Variety, Mitchell "was involved in an off-set incident." Read the full story.
May 17, 2019
Tony Robbins, an author and self-help motivational speaker, is accused of criticizing sexual assault survivors as well as sexually harassing female staff members and fans, according to the New York Daily News. Robbins penned an open letter denying the allegations. Read the full story.
April 30, 2019
The Daily News reports that a forensic psychiatrist who testified against Bill Cosby will be a key witness against Harvey Weinstein when he stands trial for rape and sex assault later this year. Read the full story.
April 3, 2019
Former Vice President Joe Biden acknowledges that his tendency toward physical displays of affection and encouragement have made some women uncomfortable, and he promised to be "much more mindful" of respecting personal space. The video posted on Twitter was Biden's first direct comment on what has tripped up his preparations to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. Read the full story.
March 3, 2019
Roseanne Barr talks about the #MeToo movement on Candace Owen's podcast, The Candace Owens Show. Barr is quoted saying "If you don't run out of the room and go, 'Excuse me, you don't do that to me,' and leave, but you stayed around because you're like, 'Well, I thought maybe he was going to give me a writing job,' well, you aren't nothing but a ho."
Feb. 22, 2019
R&B superstar R. Kelly is charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, court records show, about 10 years after being acquitted on charges of child pornography. The charges come after damning allegations in a recent documentary series spurred Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx to make an unusual public plea last month for any Kelly accusers to come forward, and a recent groundswell of social media backlash called for a boycott of Kelly's music. Read the full story.
Feb. 14, 2019
High-profile lawyer Michael Avenatti says that within the last 30 days he gave Cook County prosecutors a videotape that appears to show musician R. Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl. Avenatti said the tape was not among the evidence used against Kelly 10 years ago in a child pornography case that ended with Kelly's acquittal. Read the full story.
Feb. 13, 2019
A New York Times report says seven women have claimed singer-songwriter Ryan Adams offered to help them with their music careers but then turned things sexual, and he sometimes became emotional and verbally abusive. Read the full story.
Feb. 4, 2019
Lisa Borders resigns from her position as chief executive of Time's Up, citing a need "to address family concerns that require my singular focus." Borders suddenly found herself at odds with the core mission of Time's Up because of a desire to stand by a man -- her son -- facing allegations of sexual misconduct. Read the full story.
Jan. 23, 2019
An article published Wednesday online in the Atlantic contains new allegations against "X-Men" Director Bryan Singer, including accounts from anonymous men who say they had sex with Singer when they were minors. The article also contains an account of what happened behind the scenes on "Bohemian Rhapsody," the Oscar-nominated movie from which Singer was fired as director before the completion of filming. Read the full story.
Jan. 3. 2019
Lifetime network airs a six-episode docuseries that explores the abuse allegations against Chicago R&B superstar R. Kelly. The program delved into Kelly's childhood on the South Side; his musical career, which includes hits "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Ignition (Remix)"; his acquittal on child pornography charges in a 2008 Cook County trial; and his troubled relationships with African-American women. Multiple women claimed on the series that Kelly physically, sexually and mentally abused them. He is also accused of running a so-called "sex cult." In the aftermath of the docuseries, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx called on any accusers to come forward. Read the full story.
Dec. 5, 2018
"Girls" writer and actress Lena Dunham pens an article in The Hollywood Reporter appologizing for lying in order to discredit a woman who had just gone to the police to report a sexual assault. In November 2017, actress Aurora Perrineau filed a police report accusing "Girls" writer and executive producer Murray Miller of raping her in 2012, when she was 17 years old. Following the accusation, Dunham sent a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, co-written with "Girls" showrunner Jenni Konner, saying, " ... sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year." Read Heidi Stevens' column.
Dec. 5, 2018
The New York Times reports that an internal investigation of former CBS chief Les Moonves has turned up more evidence of sexual misconduct as well as lying and destruction of evidence, throwing into jeopardy his $120 million severance package. Read the full story.
Dec. 2, 2018
Fox Entertainment Group and the producers of the television series "Cosmos" say they are investigating celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment and assault. Tyson wrote that he would fully cooperate with the investigation into the allegations. Read the full story.
Dec. 1, 2018
A Cleveland radio station says it has stopped playing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" after listeners said the song heard on countless holiday playlists is inappropriate. In the song, one singer tries to persuade the other to stay and their exchanges include lyrics like "What's in this drink?" and "Baby, don't hold out." WDOK-FM midday host Glenn Anderson announced on the pop music station's website that the song would no longer be in its around-the-clock rotation of holiday music. Read the full story.
Nov. 19, 2018
The House Ethics Committee calls for a swift resolution to negotiations over how to change the system for reporting sexual harassment and other abusive workplace behavior on Capitol Hill. The 10 members of the Ethics Committee wrote to congressional leaders to tout the House-passed reform bill and highlight the "overwhelming" bipartisan support in the lower chamber for changing the process for reporting misconduct. Read the full story.
Nov. 5, 2018
Harvey Weinstein's lawyers asked for a chance to question in court the former lead detective in his sexual assault case and the head of New York City's special victims division, arguing the case has been "irreparably tainted" by police misconduct and should be thrown out. The New York Police Department reiterated its statement that "the evidence against Mr. Weinstein is compelling and strong" and that it will continue to work with prosecutions "to deliver justice for the courageous survivors who have bravely come forward." Read the full story.
Oct. 5, 2018
It's been exactly one year since sexual misconduct and rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein brought the #MeToo movement to the forefront of American life. On the anniversary of Weinstein's downfall, Chicago Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens reflects on the movement and what it means for girls her own daughter's age. Read her column.
Oct. 4, 2018
A year after the rise of the #MeToo hashtag and the fall of a number of powerful men, local activists who have worked for decades with survivors of sexual violence are asking where they fit into the movement. Tarana Burke, who coined the phrase "Me Too" more than a decade ago as a way to help women who experienced sexual violence, spoke in Chicago as part of a "Keeping Black Girls at the Center of #MeToo" town hall. Read the full story.
Oct. 3, 2018
Journalist Connie Chung penned an open letter in the Washington Post to Christine Blasey Ford revealing she was molested by her family doctor when she was in college. Ford testified less than a week earlier that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school in 1982. In Chung's letter she writes, "Will my legacy as a television journalist for 30-plus years be relegated to a footnote? Will 'She Too' be etched on my tombstone instead? I don't want to tell the truth. I must tell the truth." Read the story.
Sept. 27, 2018
The Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh riveted Washington and the nation with hours of fiery, emotional testimony from the judge and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexual assault when they were high schoolers. Kavanaugh denied the accusation. Weeks later, Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Read the story.
Sept. 25, 2018
At age 81, Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years behind bars for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his gated estate. The punishment made him the first celebrity of the #MeToo era to be sent to prison and all but completed the dizzying, late-in-life fall from grace for the comedian, TV star and breaker of racial barriers. Read the story.
Sept. 17, 2018
Soon-Yi Previn, the wife of Woody Allen and the estranged adopted daughter of Mia Farrow, defended her husband against what she contends is unfair treatment in the #MeToo era and attacked her adoptive mother in her first public comments about the relationships in decades. Read the story.
Sept. 16, 2018
Christine Blasey Ford, currently a professor at Palo Alto University, accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault for an incident that occurred while the two attended separate high schools in Bethesda, Md. Ford originally sent her story via letter to two California lawmakers, requesting anonymity. She said that at a party, Kavanaugh held her down and attempted to force himself on her, but she was able to free herself. Ford revealed her identity in a Sept. 16 Washington Post article and has offered to testify about the incident to the Senate Judiciary Committee, pending an FBI investigation. Kavanaugh has the denied the accusations. Read the latest.
Sept. 11, 2018
Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald apologized after, in an interview with Hollywood Reporter, he appeared to ridicule the #MeToo movement and victims while voicing support for Louis C.K. and Roseanne Barr. "They both made terrible mistakes and I would never defend their actions. If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain that their victims feel to this day, I am deeply sorry," he said. Read the story.
Sept 9, 2018
CBS Chief Les Moonves resigned just hours after six more women accused the veteran television executive of sexual misconduct. The resignation is effective immediately, CBS said in a statement posted on its website. The network didn't address the allegations directly, but said Moonves will donate $20 million to one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace. Read the story.
Aug. 20, 2018
Italian actress Asia Argento -- one of the most prominent activists of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment -- settled a complaint filed against her by a young actor and musician who said she sexually assaulted him when he was 17, the New York Times reported. Read the story.
July 27, 2018
The CBS Corp. board of directors announced it will investigate allegations of sexual misconduct that are to be raised against CEO Leslie Moonves in a report in the New Yorker expected to be published today July 27. Moonves is just the latest media titan to come under fire for allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior and abuse of power in workplace settings.
July 18, 2018
Adam Seger, a fixture of Chicago's bar and wine scene with stints at Nacional 27, Maple & Ash and a slew of other restaurants, was arrested in New Orleans in connection with 2015 rape charges. Read the story.
May 25, 2018
Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to New York authorities after being charged with rape in the first and third degrees, as well as criminal sexual act in the first degree for forcible sexual acts against two women in 2013 and 2004. Read the story.
May 24, 2018
Morgan Freeman has issued an apology for making women feel "uneasy," following a CNN report in which eight women alleged that he sexually harassed them or made inappropriate remarks. Read the story.
May 20, 2018
The NYPD confirms their investigation of allegations made against celebrity chef Mario Batali. The following day, Eataly announces that the company is in the process of a full separation from the chef. Read the story.
May 10, 2018
Spotify announces it will no longer include the troubled R&B artist R. Kelly on its playlists. His music will still be available, but Spotify will not actively promote it. For months now, the #MuteRKelly campaign has called for an end to Kelly's career amid longstanding allegations of sexual abuse. Read the story.
April 26, 2018
A woman who worked as a war correspondent for NBC News said Tom Brokaw groped her, twice tried to forcibly kiss her and made inappropriate overtures attempting to have an affair, according to two reports published Thursday. Read the story.
April 26, 2018
Bill Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era, completing the spectacular late-life downfall of a comedian who broke racial barriers in Hollywood on his way to TV superstardom as America's Dad. Read the story.
April 23, 2018
A massage therapist says Stan Lee of Marvel Comics fondled himself and inappropriately grabbed her during arranged massages at a Chicago hotel in 2017, according to a lawsuit filed in Cook County circuit court. Read the story.
April 16, 2018
The New York Times and The New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for breaking the Harvey Weinstein scandal with reporting that galvanized the #MeToo movement and set off a worldwide reckoning over sexual misconduct in the workplace. Read the story.
April 6, 2018
NowThis News released a video of author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins denouncing the #MeToo movement, saying it amounts to little more than women trying to gain "significance" by claiming "victimhood." The comments were made during an event in March. Read the story.
April 2, 2018
Prosecutors and the defense began picking a jury for Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial Monday in a #MeToo era that could make the task more difficult. Experts say the movement could cut both ways for the comedian, making some potential jurors more hostile toward him and others more likely to think men are being unfairly accused. Read the story.
March 27, 2018
The sexual abuse scandal at Michigan State University widened when authorities charged a former dean with failing to protect patients from sports doctor Larry Nassar, along with sexually harassing female students and pressuring them for nude selfies. Read the story.
March 19, 2018
Fortune magazine publishes an article detailing the accounts of two women who say Tronc chairman and investor Michael Ferro made unwanted sexual advances toward them in 2013 and 2016 during separate business meetings. Ferro retired from the board of Tronc the same day. Read the story.
March 12, 2018
James Levine, whose 46-year career at the Metropolitan Opera established him as a towering figure in classical music, was fired by the company after an investigation found evidence of sexual abuse and harassment. Read the story.
March 4, 2018
The #MeToo and Time's Up movements were ever present at this year's Oscars ceremony. Host Jimmy Kimmel ribbed Harvey Weinstein and others sullied by harassment scandals in his opening monologue. Three Weinstein accusers -- Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek -- spoke to the effects ushered in by the producer's downfall. "The changes we're witnessing are being driven by the powerful sound of new voices, of different voices, of our voices joining together in a mighty chorus that is finally saying time's up," Judd added. Read the story.
Feb. 25, 2018
In a pointed Vanity Fair essay, Monica Lewinsky writes about how she had come to view her affair with Clinton as "a consensual relationship" - and how all the women (and men) now speaking out about sexual misconduct have given her a "new lens" through which to see her own story. Read the story.
Feb. 20, 2018
Lawyers for Harvey Weinstein said in federal court in New York that a proposed class-action lawsuit filed by six women should be rejected because the alleged assaults took place too long ago and they failed to offer facts to support claims of racketeering. The lawyers cited comments made by Streep, pictured here in 2012, who had said Weinstein had always been respectful in their working relationship. Streep slapped back, saying Weinstein's use of her statement "as evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitive." Read the story.
Feb. 12, 2018
A key staffer in Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's political operation made unwanted advances to a female campaign worker and sent her inappropriate phone texts, Madigan acknowledged in cutting the longtime aide loose. Madigan praised Alaina Hampton, below, as a "courageous woman" for coming forward to complain. But in an interview with the Tribune, she said the action took far too long. Read the story.
Feb. 6, 2018
Country music star Vince Gill showcased a personal song about sexual abuse at Nashville's Country Radio Seminar. "We're living in a time right now when finally people are having the courage to speak out about being abused," Gill said, sharing his own experience with sexual assault in the seventh grade. Read the story.
Feb. 3, 2018
In a New York Times article, actress Uma Thurman accused disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of forcing himself on her sexually years ago in a London hotel room. Thurman also said that during filming, "Kill Bill" director Quentin Tarantino coerced her into driving a car she believed was faulty, and spitted in her face and choked her in scenes where other people are seen doing it on screen. Read the story.
Jan. 28, 2018
Actor Jeremy Piven was first accused of sexual assault by three women in early November 2017. On Jan. 28, three more women came forward to make allegations against the "Entourage" star. He has denied all allegations. Read the story.
Jan. 20, 2018
More than a million people took to the streets around the nation for the second annual Women's March. This year's event, held on the anniversary of President Donald Trump's oath of office, focused on disapproval of his administration and policies, as well as encouraging people to vote. Read the story.
Jan. 18, 2018
After several prominent figures in the restaurant industry, including celebrity chef Mario Batali, were accused of sexual misconduct, Chicago chefs and restaurateurs spoke out against rampant sexual harassment in kitchens. When asked about the challenges, Beverly Kim, chef/co-owner at Parachute restaurant in Avondale, spoke about "the acceptance of 'This is how it is, this is how restaurants are, and you've got to deal with it or you're out.' " Read the story.
Jan. 11, 2018
In interviews with The Los Angeles Times, five women accused Franco, 39, of behavior they found to be inappropriate or sexually exploitative. Four were his students, and another said he was her mentor. Read the story.
Jan. 7, 2018
Oprah Winfrey accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes. In her acceptance speech, she mentioned being "inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories." She continued, "But it's not just a story affecting the entertainment industry. It's one that transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics or workplace." Read the story.
Jan. 7, 2018
The 75th Golden Globes Awards was held in Beverly Hills, Calif. Many stars wore all black in solidarity with the Time's Up movement and some donned a Time's Up pin designed by stylist and costume designer Arianne Phillips. Read the story.
Jan. 1, 2018
More than 300 women of Hollywood form an anti-harassment coalition called Times Up. Read the story.
Dec. 20, 2017
The Los Angeles Times breaks the story of seven men accusing successful theater prodigy Gary Goddard of molesting or attempting to molest them as boys. The news followed a November essay written by actor Anthony Edwards, in which he made similar claims. Read the story.
Dec. 11, 2017
Mario Batali goes on leave from his show and restaurants after four women allege sexual harassment. He offers an apology and says the behavior described in the accusations does "match up" with his actions. Read the story.
Dec. 7, 2017
Dylan Farrow pens op-ed about Woody Allen and asks, again, why the slew of sexual misconduct allegations against her adoptive father haven't made more of an impact on his career. Read the story.
Dec. 7, 2017
At the urging his party, U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., says he'll resign from Congress amid sexual misconduct allegations. Read the story.
Dec. 6, 2017
Time magazine names the "Silence Breakers" its 2017 Person of the Year, citing individuals like Tarana Burke and Terry Crews as forces behind this watershed moment. Read the story.
Nov. 30, 2017
Russell Simmons steps down from his companies after writer Jenny Lumet accuses him of sexual assault in The Hollywood Reporter Read the story.
Nov. 30, 2017
Garrison Keillor is fired from Minnesota Public Radio after accusations of sexual misconduct. Read the story.
Nov. 29, 2017
The "Today" show opens with a stunning revelation that co-host Matt Lauer had been fired after NBC received detailed allegations about the anchorman's sexual misconduct. Read the story.
Nov. 10, 2017
Louis C.K. confirms Nov. 9 NYT report about several women who accused him of sexual misconduct: "These stories are true." Read the story.
Nov. 9, 2017
WaPo first publishes investigative piece about Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore's alleged history of preying upon underage girls. Read the story.
Oct. 29, 2017
The first accusation against Kevin Spacey lands, with Anthony Rapp claiming that Spacey made sexual advances toward him when he was 14. Read the story.
Oct. 18, 2017
Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney tweets that she was sexually assualted by former team doctor Lawrence G. Nassar, who recently has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. Read the story.
Oct. 15, 2017
Actress Alyssa Milano reignites "Me Too" with the tweet "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet," and it quickly turned into a movement. Read the story.
Oct. 12, 2017
Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios, resigns after producer Isa Hackett accuses him in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter of lewd behaivor and propositions in 2015. Read the story.
Oct. 5, 2017
Actress Ashley Judd accuses media mogul Harvey Weinstein in a breaking story by The New York Times. Read the story.
2006
Tarana Burke coins phrase "Me Too." Burke is a survivor of sexual assault and wanted to do something to help women and girls of color who had also survived sexual violence. Read the story.
Source: Chicago Tribune reporting