Gary Oldman, Kobe Bryant Under Fire After Oscars Win For Alleged Abuse
After Kobe Bryant and Gary Oldman's win in Sunday's Oscars, the latter's wife slammed the Academy for handing awards to "not one but two abusers."
The third ex-wife of Oldman, Donya Fiorentino, questioned the award-giving body's move to award her former husband and the National Basketball Association player of a gold statue, blatantly making her voice heard.
"Congratulations, Gary and congratulations to the Academy for awarding not one but two abusers with Oscars. I thought we had evolved. What happened to the #MeToo movement?" she told TMZ.
Oldman won the coveted Best Actor Award for the portrayal of Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour. Other contenders in the category were Denzel Washington for Roman J. Israel, Esq.; Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out; Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name; and Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread.
Meanwhile, Bryant snatched the Best Animated Short Award for Dear Basketball, which he wrote in 2015 after retiring from basketball. He bested Lou, Revolting Rhymes, Garden Party, and Negative Space.
Both Oldman and Bryant took home their first Oscars on Sunday night, but obviously, there were those who weren't pleased nor impressed with the decision of the Academy.
Fiorentino's statement stemmed from a physical abuse allegation in 2001 against the 59-year-old actor. Oldman allegedly used a phone to beat her, though the actor said they were brawling over the phone, and when he finally released his grip, the device hit her.
"I backed away, with the phone receiver in my hand. I tried to dial 911. Gary grabbed the phone receiver from my hand, and hit me in the face with the telephone receiver three or four times. Both of the children were crying," Fiorentino said of what actually transpired.
Rape Allegation
While Bryant found another trophy to add to his already growing collection of shiny mementos during his colorful career with NBA, people are certainly far from forgetting his haunting past.
Bryant had a rape case filed against him in 2003 by a hotel staff in Colorado. The basketball superstar asserted what happened between him and the 19-year-old was consensual. The 39-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers star attended trial but the case was dropped as the victim suddenly became uncooperative. Rumors had it that he paid $5 million to settle, but he denied these.
"She said he then grabbed her by the neck, bent her over a chair and violated her as she cried and protested," The Washington Post had reported of the matter in 2004.
Additionally, Bryant and Goldman's wins were met with a shrug after people immediately associated them with past allegations linked with them, especially during this time that the #MeToo movement started sweeping the Hollywood. Clearly, a lot of people echoed Fiorentino's statement.
