Asia Argento denies sexual assault claim, says Anthony Bourdain paid off accuser
Asia Argento is firmly denying an allegation of sexual assault — but she revealed that her late partner Anthony Bourdain did make a deal with her accuser.
A quiet payoff from the Italian filmmaker to her accuser, actor Jimmy Bennett, was first reported by The New York Times on Sunday. Documents show Argento arranged to pay Bennett $380,000 after he accused her of sexual assault when he was 17 and she was 37.
Argento spoke out about the deal for the first time Tuesday in a statement obtained by reporter Yashar Ali. In it, Argento denied the Times story and said she'd never had "any sexual relationship with Bennett." She went on to claim that Bennett, who once played her son in a movie, was "undergoing severe economic problems" and "unexpectedly made an exorbitant request of money from me."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Argento said that because she had been dating the late chef Bourdain, Bennett knew Bourdain would be "afraid of the possible negative publicity" from a public settlement. So Bourdain "personally undertook to help Bennett economically, upon the condition that we would no longer suffer any intrusions in our life," Argento said in her statement.
Sunday's news of the deal was especially noteworthy considering Argento's role at the helm of the #MeToo movement, as she was one of the first women to accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. Argento's arrangement with Bennett was finalized after the Weinstein revelations began pouring in, per the Times.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published