Gwyneth Paltrow Hid From Harvey Weinstein in a Bathroom to Call the New York Times

Gwyneth Paltrow‘s career will forever be intwined with Harvey Weinstein. She was one of the biggest stars associated with his Marimax studios during the ’90s in a way that you might say Timothée Chalamet or Lucas Hedges are associated with A24 today. However when Paltrow discovered that The New York Times was investigated decades of sexual harassment and assault allegations against Weinstein, the actress was one of the first big stars on the phone with reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. In fact, before publication of the initial story, Weinstein even once showed up to Paltrow’s home during a party, causing the actress to hide in her own bathroom and call up the reporters.

The revelation comes in Kantor and Twohey’s new book She Said, which not only details more information about the Weinstein allegations but also details the journalistic story behind the story.

Talking to Savannah Guthrie on The Today Show this morning, Kantor and Twohey, who didn’t have much previous experience covering show business, detailed how difficult it was to get in contact with the famous women who had made allegations against Weinstein in the first place. The pair couldn’t go through traditional sources like a publicist, and once they found out to reach an actress they had to assure her that she could trust them to properly tell their story.

Paltrow, as it turns out, as one of the first big names who got on board with the story, providing information to the reporters on background at first before eventually going on the record herself.

“Gwyneth Paltrow was one of Harvey’s biggest stars,” said Twohey. “He had really kind of presented himself as kind of godfather to her over the years. So, I think many people will be surprised to discover that when so many other actresses were reluctant to get on the phone and scared to tell the truth about what they had experienced at his hands, that Gwyneth was actually one of the first people to get on the phone, and that she was determined to help this investigation. Even when Harvey Weinstein showed up to a party at her house early, and she was sort of forced to hide in a bathroom.”

“There’s this crazy scene in the book where she’s hiding in her own bathroom calling you guys saying ‘What do I do? He’s here,'” added Guthrie.

“I think Harvey Weinstein was extremely aware and extremely scared of what the implications would be if his biggest start ended up going on the record,” added Twohey.

Weinstein continues to deny the allegation made against him.

Still, Paltrow’s allegations came as no surprise to many in Hollywood. Matt Damon, who is friends and creative partners with Paltrow’s ex-boyfriend Ben Affleck, has since shared that he was well aware of Weinstein’s behavior.

On Howard Stern, Paltrow also shared that once after Weinstein made a pass at her she told her then boyfriend Brad Pitt. When the couple next ran into Weinstein, Paltrow recalls that Pitt confronted him. “He said, ‘If you ever make her feel uncomfortable again, I’ll kill you’. Or something like that.”

Kantor and Twohey went on to share a Pulitzer Prize for their investigation in tandem with the New Yorker‘s Ronan Farrow. Their book She Said goes on sale tomorrow.