The ugly inside of Hollywood, and what happens on movie sets and behind closed doors, continues to be exposed, and the latest to face the spotlight is “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner.
Kater Gordon, an Emmy winning former writer on the acclaimed series, has accused Weiner of sexual harassment. Gordon, who was first hired as Weiner’s personal assistant, alleges that the “Mad Men” creator and writer “said she owed it to him to let him see her naked” while they were working together one night. She was fired a year later, and the experience, which left her feeling “threatened and devalued,” still sits with her to this day.
“I had the Emmy, but instead of being able to use that as a launch pad for the rest of my career, it became an anchor because I felt I had to answer to speculative stories in the press,” she told The Information. “I eventually walked away instead of fighting back.”
“I did my best to play along but couldn’t divorce him from the comment, and I lost respect,” Gordon said about her feelings toward Weiner following his comment.
Despite being well-respected on “Mad Men” by Weiner and the rest of the staff on the show, and given assurances she would be part of the season three team, Gordon was fired after she won the Emmy for writing the episode “Meditations in an Emergency” with Weiner.
“He told me I was terrible at everything, from my work in the writers room to on set,” Gordon says about Weiner’s explanation for her departure.
Gordon’s spirit was broken following “Mad Men” and she hasn’t worked in the industry since, saying, “I was disadvantaged because I didn’t have my boss’s recommendation and I doubted myself. I felt I had lost my integrity and dignity.”
However, Gordon has formed the non-profit group Modern Alliance, which launched this week, and will aim to help victims of sexual harassment, and raise awareness.
In response to the allegations, Weiner’s spokesperson released the following statements:
Mr. Weiner spent eight to ten hours a day writing dialogue aloud with Miss Gordon, who started on ‘Mad Men’ as his writers assistant. He does not remember saying this comment nor does it reflect a comment he would say to any colleague.
During the nine years he was showrunner on “Mad Men,” Mr. Weiner had a predominantly female driven writers room. He has long believed in and implemented an egalitarian working environment including the highest levels of production and writing based on mutual respect for all.
Weiner is currently in production on “The Romanoffs” at Amazon. There was has been no response yet from the streaming service.