When Will Hollywood’s Dirtiest “Open” Secret Finally Be Exposed?

In the wake of the ever-unfolding series of accusations and accounts of sexual abuse at the hands of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, perhaps the biggest scandal has been that Weinstein’s abuse is constantly described as having been an “open secret” in Hollywood for years, maybe decades. While the extent of Weinstein’s monstrous action may not have been available to everyone, again and again we hear from people who had “heard the rumors” about Harvey for years. Yet through a combination of fear, silence, and active accomplices, he was able to continue operating in the film business for years.

And while “Never Again” might be the ideal mantra in the wake of the Weinstein accusations, there is already increased chatter about another major “open secret” that has been festering in Hollywood for at least as long as Weinstein’s reign of terror, if not longer. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry put it most plainly today on The Week: “Is Hollywood sitting on a pedophilia scandal?” There’s certainly been enough anecdotal evidence over the years that we wouldn’t be able to say we hadn’t “heard the rumors” if a blockbuster exposé was published tomorrow.

Gobry isn’t the only one wondering when the other shoe will drop on a child sex-abuse scandal in Hollywood. Earlier this week, The Daily Beast’s Ira Madison III and the New York Post‘s Maureen Callahan each brought up Corey Feldman’s longstanding claims of sex abuse and rape among a well-connected set of men in the film industry. All three articles reference the 2016 interview Feldman gave to the Hollywood Reporter in which he accused unnamed Hollywood professionals of molestation and, in his most serious allegation, of raping an 11-year-old Corey Haim.

“[Haim] had more direct abuse than I did. With me, there were some molestations, and it did come from several hands, so to speak, but with Corey, his was direct rape, whereas mine was not actual rape. And his also occurred when he was 11.”

Corey Haim died in 2010 from complications of years of drug abuse.

Feldman’s accusations were not a one-time thing. For years he’s been alluding to child abuse within the industry. In the 2016 interview, he claimed that at least one of the perpetrators of his/Haim’s abuse is still “prominently in the business today.” And while Feldman won’t name names for fear of legal retaliation, he’s been resolute in his accusations.

Actor Elijah Wood has also spoken out about the open secret of pedophilia in Hollywood. He gave an interview last year where he said, “Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organized. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind.” Wood later backtracked and said he had no “firsthand” knowledge of sexual abuse.

The issue of child sexual abuse in Hollywood is tackled head-on in the documentary An Open Secret, which was cited by Wood and discussed by Feldman in the THR interview. It’s available to stream on Vimeo.

Madison’s article also brings up the lawsuit brought against blockbuster director Bryan Singer in 2014, which was withdrawn by the accuser some time thereafter. This is the state of things in Hollywood right now. A lot of smoke; as yet no fire. But as with the Harvey Weinstein accusations, just because it takes years for the story to reach critical mass doesn’t mean those years weren’t filled with stories, rumors, and accounts just begging to be investigated. If and when the dam finally does break and the no-doubt heartbreaking stories emerge, how many will again say they “heard the rumors”?