The disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has reportedly been diagnosed with bone-marrow cancer. Sources tell NBC News that Weinstein — who is serving a 23-year sentence at Rikers Island for rape and criminal sexual assault — is receiving treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia, which is characterized by the abnormal production of white blood cells in the bone marrow and is generally slow to progress.
Weinstein’s cancer diagnosis is the latest in a string of apparent health issues. In September, the 72-year-old was moved from a New York City jail to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. Prior to that, he was hospitalized in July for what his representative called “a myriad of health conditions,” including COVID and double pneumonia. In an emailed statement to the Cut following reports of his cancer diagnosis, a representative for Weinstein criticized speculation about his health struggles, calling it “troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse.”
Meanwhile, the convicted rapist’s legal battles continue. Last month, a New York grand jury served Weinstein with a new sealed indictment as he awaits a retrial for felony sex-crime charges. Days later, Weinstein appeared at a New York state court in a wheelchair and sporting a bandaged hand as he pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of sexually assaulting a woman at a downtown hotel in 2006. A judge has set his retrial date for November 12.