There’s no hiding from dark Hollywood. It might appear glamourous, but Tinseltown is far from the picturesque landscape film and television portray it. While there is a light side, there is also a dark Hollywood, a place only the bold, desperate and twisted will venture. Thanks to Jennette McCurdy’s newly released memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, we have a fresh perspective on the dark side behind the glitz, glamour and spotlight.
Mainstream media has recently published a lot of dark content, including sexual assault allegations against high-profile figures and a ton of nasty stuff. It’s enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. However, dark Hollywood isn’t just something that has emerged recently. It has existed for decades but has been kept under the radar thanks to PR puff pieces.
However, it is the good nature of certain journalists who take the toxicity by the literal balls. As a result, the true story comes out about what happens behind the curtain that ordinary people don’t get to see from the outside.
Come with us as we explore the dark side of Hollywood through the eyes of those brave enough to tell their story to the press. We’ll be breaking it down into sections so you can follow along easily. Also, this will be a longer article than we usually write because there is so much to cover. Please bear in mind also that there is so much to these stories when what we’re telling you. We’re not breaking the surface enough.
Before we jump into this dark Hollywood post, we do have to caution our readers that we will be discussing several dark topics, including sexual assault, addiction, cannibalism, cults and other dark elements. So, you have been warned. So, without any more fanfare, let’s jump into it.
The Casting Couch
Harvey Weinstein’s sleazy practices were an apparent open secret in Hollywood. Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t widespread enough that his then-wife, Georgina Chapman, knew anything about it. Believing himself to be god’s gift to the universe, the Academy Award-winning producer threw himself at actresses who were hoping for a step up into the film industry. However, there was a catch for many of them; they had to have sex with him.
Many refused his advances, though others were not as fortunate. In 2017, the New York Post and the New Yorker published dozens of accounts of his casting couch practices. The scandal dominated the headlines for weeks leading to over 100 women coming out against him. Some included:
- Helena Bonham Carter
- Cate Blanchett
- Madonna
- Rose MacGowan
- Cara Delevingne
The allegations spanned from sexual assault, rape and assault. It also inspired others to come out about their stories within Hollywood. Very few people were sparred, including Kevin Spacey, who decided to come out as gay to soften the blow dealt to his career. However, it backfired on him. His downfall came at the hands of Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, who had worked in a stage production with the disgraced actor as a teenager. It also lead to the scene at the end of Toy Story 2 with Stinky Pete and the Barbies in his box being removed from further releases of the film.
Other celebrities and bigwigs caught up in the rise of #MeToo, according to the New York Times, include:
- Louis C.K.
- Ed Westwick
- Andrew Kreisberg
- Matt Lauer
- Bryan Singer
- Paul Haggis
The list goes on forever.
At the time, Georgina Chapman, Weinstein’s wife, immediately left him, taking their two young children with her. They have since divorced. She has since opened up about life.
Seedy Associates
Businesswomen don’t come quite as big as Oprah Winfrey. She started from nothing and rose to become one of the world’s wealthiest women. However, along the way, she has stepped over into dark Hollywood. As you can see from the image above, she was friendly with Harvey Weinstein but has since pulled her support for him, claiming she didn’t know anything about his casting couch practices.
The rumour goes that Oprah acted as a pimp for Weinstein to feed him, victims. However, USA Today has debunked this as there is no proof she did or knew about what he was doing behind closed doors. Unfortunately, though, Weinstein is not the only seedy associate Oprah has.
Oprah opened a girls’ school in South Africa in 2007, which a sexual abuse scandal has scandalised. However, she has also failed to examine the facts regarding some interview subjects. When confronted about this, she says, “It’s their truth.”
The Washington Post published an article about “Winfrey 2020”, which bought up a few instances in Winfrey’s past. One of those was her endorsement of Doctor Oz, who she later booted. Also, it has been alleged that Winfrey is why Jenny McCarthy’s anti-vaccination bandwagon has been gaining traction.
Cannibalism
Actor Armie Hammer’s career was going from strength to strength. However, something more sinister was beneath the surface and plagued the Hammer family for generations. Let’s break this down as there are two stories. The first is the Hammer family, and the second is Armie.
The Fall Of The House Of Hammer
Casey Hammer, Armie’s aunt, has revealed that their family might’ve looked perfect on the outside, but the goings on behind closed doors will shock everyone. This comes from a trailer for an upcoming documentary series called House of Hammer.
In the trailer, Casey, as per The Hindu, says that when the allegations against her nephew came out, she wasn’t surprised. She says every generation of their family has participated in dark deeds. Moreover, she has been silenced and shunned by her family, but she refuses to remain quiet. She wants the world to know how toxic the men in her family are.
Everyone from her grandfather, father, brother, and now, her nephew has done some dark, twisted things. It’s time for that to be put into the open. The documentary is due to drop in a few weeks on Discovery+.
Armie’s Fall From Grace
As mentioned earlier, Armie’s career was at its highest. He seemingly had a perfect life. However, beneath the surface of the perfection was a sinister sadistic side where his ultimate fantasy involved rape, BDSM practices and cannibalism.
Hammer had affairs while married to his wife of a decade, Elizabeth Chambers, the mother of his two children. As seen in the trailer for House of Hammer, a few of his ex-girlfriends unleash the truth about his fantasies and sadistic nature.
There is so much to this story that it would make the public’s heads spin.
Underage Drinking And Drugs And Eating Disorders
In her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy highlights that the person she refers to as ‘the Creator’ encouraged underage drinking. We know who she is referring to, but we’re not to mention the name in case we get sued.
Dark Hollywood has a massive thing for allowing its underage stars to take drugs. This is well-known among former Disney Channel stars. One example of someone who has come out about drug use during their time with the Mouse of House is Demi Lovato.
Also, a common negative aspect of young Hollywood is eating disorders. Demi suffered from a couple during her time as a Disney Channel star. Jennette mentions in her book that she, too, suffered from an eating disorder during her time with Nickelodeon, which her abusive mother bought on.
Cults
To finish this article, we wanted to go over dark Hollywood and its inclusions in cults. One of the dark Hollywood’s most favourite associations with them is the Manson family’s killing of heavily pregnant Sharon Tate in 1969.
Though there have been a few more instances of cult association in dark Hollywood, there is the association that late actress Nichelle Nichols’ brother, Thomas Nichols, had with the Heaven’s Gate cult. He was a member of the cult and was part of the mass suicide th 1996.
The second cult we wanted to go over is the NXVIM sex cult. Unlike the previous two, no one died with NXVIM. However, it brought out a dark side of those involved. One is Allison Mack, the actress known for her role as Chloe Sullivan in Smallville. It was also uncovered that Kristin Kreuk, Mack’s Smallville costar, was involved in NXVIM but got out very early after being recruited. Another notable name who was involved in the group was Nicki Clyne of Battlestar Galactica fame which is still a loyal follower of the cult’s leader, Keith Raniere and is married to Allison Mack.
