Rose McGowan has raised doubts about whether Harvey Weinstein has ever truly been behind bars. The actress, who became a prominent voice in the Me Too movement, accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her during the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.

Weinstein, once a powerful figure in Hollywood, became notorious as a symbol of sexual misconduct following a wave of allegations reported by the media in 2017. These revelations marked a significant turning point, as numerous women bravely stepped forward to share their experiences.

In total, around 60 women accused the former producer of various forms of abuse, leading to his conviction for multiple sex crimes across both New York and California. These convictions underscored the widespread and damaging impact of his actions.

Currently, Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence that began in 2018. His legal battles continued, culminating in a retrial in New York, where he was convicted once more in June 2025.

Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence which began in 2018, and he was convicted again in a New York retrial in June 2025.

But speaking on the latest episode of Paul C Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Rose says she suspects the disgraced movie mogul may not be incarcerated at Rikers Island in New York City.

Rose McGowan has questioned if Harvey Weinstein has ever spent a day in prison in a new interview about her traumatic years in Hollywood and her upbringing in a cult

The actress, 52, who was one of the leading activists of the global Me Too movement and accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival (Weinstein pictred at his re-trial in May 2025)

When asked if she feels justice has been served, Rose replied: ‘I would love to see a picture of him in prison. I suspect he’s been in a mansion in Connecticut. That’s my theory.’

‘I don’t know if he’s ever spent a day in prison. Hollywood, baby. I don’t know, maybe.’

Rose detailed the sexual assault in the new interview, which she previously wrote about in her 2018 book Brave.  

‘I think he was a thug. Not the Mafia boss of the cool kind with the suit, like Marlon Brando, Godfather type, but more like a street way,’ she told We Need To Talk.

She also compared Hollywood’s ‘protection’ of Weinstein over so many years to growing up in the controversial Children of God cult, explaining: 

‘They calculated that he was thanked more times than God at the Oscars. Harvey Weinstein was their god. This was far worse than the cult I grew up in.’

Rose got emotinal during the interview when Paul showed her a photo of herself as a child with her father Daniel. 

She explained that whilst she had a tumultuous relationship with him until his death in 2008, as she got older she became more forgiving of his shortcomings as a parent.  

When asked if she feels justice has been served, Rose replied: ‘I would love to see a picture of him in prison. I suspect he’s been in a mansion in Connecticut. That’s my theory’ 

In total, some 60 women came forward with harrowing allegations against the producer and he was convicted of various sex crimes in both New York and California (McGowan and Weinstein pictured in 2007) 

Rose got emotinal during the interview when Paul showed her a photo of herself as a child with her father Daniel (pictured) 

‘He hated Hollywood but couldn’t explain why to me in a way that I could understand and in a way that I could hear,’ she said, acknowledging they didn’t speak for five years after a disagreement about her teenage acting career.

‘And I think he loved me very deeply… he’s also taught me a way of seeing the world.’

Rose – who rose to fame with roles in Scream and Charmed- has lived in Mexico since she fled Hollywood during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

In 2021 the star shared that she had become a permanent Mexico resident, nearly one year after relocating. 

‘I wanted a different reality. I didn’t want anything to do with Rose McGowan for one year,’ she explained. ‘2020 was actually I know it was really hard and horrible for a lot of people.’

Rose detailed the sexual assault at the hands of Weinstein in the new interview, which she previously wrote about in her 2018 book Brave

‘That was actually the best year of my life. I had love, I had friends there. I had my little dog. I was on a beach and nobody could travel there for quite a while. I was actually safe.’

Rose ended her interview by insisting that she would love to return to her acting career, saying: ‘I would love to still have some kind of career to be able to do something in the arts and something creative again.’

‘The majority of my life than not I have had this warthog from hell on my back and buying off public’s perception of me.’

You can now listen to the full episode of We Need To Talk on Spotify or watch it on YouTube