John Oliver Grills Dustin Hoffman Over Harassment Accusations During Q&A in NYC

During the Q&A section of a special Wag the Dog screening at the 92nd St. Y Monday night, John Oliver surprised guest Dustin Hoffman—and the audience—by bringing up the harassment allegations made against him this year by Anna Graham Hunter.

Per Deadline, Oliver “brought up the current climate around sexual harassment in show business” about 20 minutes into the 45-minute Q&A, and began asking for comments from the panelists. When Oliver asked Hoffman if his “one statement” on Hunter’s allegations felt like “enough,” the actor said, “First of all, it didn’t happen, the way she reported,” adding that the incident “didn’t reflect who he is as a person.”

And here’s where Oliver really went in. Reports Deadline:

“It’s that part of the response to this stuff that pisses me off,” Oliver said. “It is reflective of who you were. You’ve given no evidence to show that it didn’t happen. There was a period of time when you were creeping around women. It feels like a cop-out to say, ‘Well, this isn’t me.’ Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?”‘

Hoffman shot back, “You weren’t there.” Oliver responded, “I’m glad,” drawing gasps from the well-heeled audience, many of whom had paid hefty ticket prices.

By the end of the tense debate, Oliver said, “I can’t leave certain things unaddressed. That leads to me at home later tonight hating myself, asking, ‘Why the fuck didn’t I say something? No one stands up to powerful men.’”