Bill Maher is wondering why it seems like the music industry was never impacted by the #MeToo Movement until now, with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ recent arrest.
Since the #MeToo movement went viral in 2017, hundreds of powerful people have been accused of sexual offenses, with some Hollywood notables being convicted, including disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
But on Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, while speaking with author Fran Lebowitz, the comedian brought up Combs’ federal charges and its impact on the music industry as a whole.
“I’ve been asking this question for seven years, since 2017 when the #MeToo thing happened,” Maher said. “Why… why not the music industry? I mean, they went after NPR pretty bad. They got like, four, five guys from NPR, like old guys who posted, like, an outrageous limerick on the doorway of the bookshop.”
“The music industry is this open cesspool of misogyny, and frankly, rape and sexual harassment, and somehow, the angel of death has flown over them,” the host added before asking, “Why do you think that is?”
Lebowitz responded, “I think because this is a capitalist country, and the music industry is much more lucrative than NPR. That would be my guess.”
“A lot of the stories about everybody starting with #MeToo, I’d heard a lot of these stories for many years,” she continued. “So, Puffy, this was not exactly a state secret. But it was a state secret apparently to them.”
In addition to facing federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, Combs has also been hit with numerous lawsuits from men and women, including ex Cassie Ventura, who accused him of rape and abuse in a complaint filed against the rapper last November. More recently, Thalia Graves alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that Combs drugged and raped her in 2001.
The rapper is currently in jail awaiting trial after being denied bail after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. His arrest came months after the FBI raided his Los Angeles and Miami homes.