Celebrities on Harvey Weinstein’s Overturned Rape Conviction

The world’s most influential leaders gathered to toast the annual TIME100 listing in New York Metropolis on Thursday. Whereas the evening was a celebration, the day was additionally a sobering second of reflection for a lot of within the wake of the announcement that very same morning that disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 New York rape conviction was overturned; Weinstein’s case was a landmark lawsuit that helped to speed up the #MeToo motion.

For some attendees, like media character Don Lemon, the information was heavy, however in the end a chance for the nation’s justice system to stay as much as its values.

“I’m not a fan [of Weinstein], however I’ll inform you, it’s our justice system and in the event that they discovered credible proof that one thing occurred with the decide or the trial in the course of the trial, then identical to some other citizen, he needs to be handled equally beneath the legislation,” Lemon instructed TIME, later drawing a parallel between Weinstein’s proper to a good trial and Donald Trump’s present hush cash trial.

For others, like activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, who helped to craft the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act after surviving her personal assault, the overturned conviction was a disheartening reminder that there’s nonetheless a lot extra work to do in terms of stopping sexual violence.

“Everyone knows as survivors that the courts fail us,” Nguyen instructed TIME. “I would like everybody, particularly survivors, to know that you just’re not alone, that we’ve been preventing, that we consider them and even when we’ve these setbacks, we all know our reality. We’ll get via this.”

2024 TIME100 honoree and Human Rights Coalition president Kelley Robinson mentioned that she was utilizing the present second as an affirmation of the ability of neighborhood and a reminder that any motion usually consists of setbacks on the way in which to progress.

“I hope that anybody who’s a survivor who’s watching at this second proper now seems up and is aware of that there’s a neighborhood of folks that have their again,” Robinson instructed TIME. “There are individuals which might be keen to combat for them and the way in which that progress works is that generally we make developments and generally we get pushed again.”

Former TIME100 honoree Tarana Burke, the founding father of the #MeToo motion, agreed with Robinson’s perception that any motion in the direction of a brighter future would encounter challenges however that, in the end, the ability of it got here from working collectively in numbers.

“It is a motion as a result of we stand collectively and we transfer collectively,” Burke instructed TIME. “I believe that when individuals see hashtags go viral, they misunderstand what actions are—actions are made of individuals. And the one factor the survivor motion has is lots of people. What we’ve seen traditionally is that actions all the time have disappointments, so whereas I used to be disenchanted in what I noticed at the moment, I don’t see it as a setback. It means we’ve extra work to do.”

Nonetheless, for TIME100 honoree and author E. Jean Carroll, who had a landmark win final yr when a jury discovered Trump accountable for defamation and sexual assault for a case she introduced towards him for an alleged rape within the ’90s, the information was visceral and sobering.

“This is not going to stand,” Carroll instructed TIME. “But it surely’s a punch to the intestine.”

The TIME100 Gala is TIME’s annual celebration of the TIME100 listing of the world’s most influential individuals. The Gala brings collectively icons, leaders, change-makers, and celebrities from throughout industries and nations for one full of life night of significant dialogue and celebration. This yr’s Gala options stay performances from Dua Lipa and Fantasia Barrino, two honorees on the 2024 TIME100 listing.

TIME is teaming up with ABC to convey viewers contained in the unique TIME100 Gala with a particular tv occasion. TIME100: The World’s Most Influential Individuals, produced in partnership with P&G, airs Sunday, Might 12 at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC, and the following day on Hulu, that includes host Taraji P. Henson and appearances by Patrick Mahomes, Maya Rudolph, and extra.

The TIME100 Gala was offered by Reserving.com, Citi, Merck, Northern Information Group, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and Verizon.