Twitter suspended Rose McGowan, the Hollywood actress at the center of sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood executive Harvey Weinsten, according to a post on her Instagram feed.
In line with their usual opacity, Twitter has not given a public reason for suspending McGowan, who is one of the loudest voices condemning Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein and his supporters over sexual misconduct allegations.
She recently accused actor Ben Affleck of lying about his knowledge of Weinstein’s alleged sexual harassment against women.
On Instagram, McGowan warned her followers that there are “powerful forces at work.”
Twitter is known for taking a heavy interest in celebrities, who the platform depends on for user engagement. One former Twitter employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Breitbart that the social media company is “heavily invested” in Hollywood and considers celebrity retweets to be the “modern autograph.”
According to an expose last year, Twitter reacts with panic whenever Hollywood executives are upset with the platform:
Shortly after news broke that Zelda Williams was leaving Twitter, [then-CEO] Costolo was getting DMs and texts from Hollywood agents at firms like CAA, threatening to pull their high-profile celebrity clients off Twitter if Costolo didn’t stop harassment. Costolo scrambled, ordering teams to delete offending accounts and tweets.
For Twitter, dependent on celebrities, the prospect of a showbiz civil war over the Weinstein allegations represents a major problem for the company. No matter who it sides with, it will alienate part of Hollywood.
Of course, it could just act on principle, but that wouldn’t be in character for the increasingly censorship-prone platform, which once boasted of being the “free speech wing of the free speech party.”
You can follow Allum Bokhari on Twitter, Gab.ai and add him on Facebook. Email tips and suggestions to abokhari@breitbart.com.
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