Chat show host Graham Norton has revealed the “worst ever guest” to appear on his sofa.
The BBC presenter was promoting his new book, Forever Home, in Dublin when he opened up about the infamous star’s “chilling” behavior before he was even invited onto the program.
Before the avalanche of allegations were made against rapist Hollywood director Harvey Weinstein in 2017, he was a guest on The Graham Norton Show.
He joined Doctor Who actor David Tennant, Oscar winner Olivia Colman and singer Jessie J on the funnyman’s sofa in 2015.
Harvey Weinstein reportedly insisted he be added to the show. PA Images / Alamy“I often talk around who my least favorite guest was, but someone reminded me, I have a really good answer to this now,” Norton said, according to Joe.
“And actually, it was weird, because he asked for my e-mail. And he e-mailed me something very nice, a complimentary thing. And then he decided he wanted to be on the show, because he was going to promote something.
“And it was a show that was fully booked, so I replied saying ‘Oh, thank you so much, but the show is fully booked’. He e-mailed back: ‘What if I blah de blah de blah’.
“And he e-mailed back again, ‘But I think…’, and I just had to turn to my booker and say ‘Can you please deal with this?’ And at the time, I thought that sort of attitude, that kind of ‘Oh no, I’m going on’, that is what makes you a very good producer.
“But of course, now that we know what we know, that is what makes him a predator. It was that kind of weird, tunnel-vision thing. And it was sort of chilling in retrospect, because I was just laughing at those emails. But you realize ‘Oh my God, that is an insight into how that man is’.”
Weinstein, 70, is serving a 23-year prison sentence after a New York jury found him guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on a production assistant.
He was also convicted of sexually assaulting a hairstylist in 2013.
He was acquitted on two charges of predatory sexual assault related to allegations he raped an actress in the 90s.
Weinstein is in jail in California, where he is awaiting another trial for allegedly assaulting five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 2004 to 2013.
