Jill Messick, Rose McGowan’s manager at time of alleged Harvey Weinstein rape, commits suicide
By Rachel Desantis
New York Daily News
February 8, 2018
A longtime Hollywood exec who served as Rose McGowan's manager when the actress was allegedly raped by Harvey Weinstein committed suicide Wednesday amid a slew of media attention her family says made her collateral damage in the pair’s war of words.
Jill Messick's family said in a statement obtained by the Daily News she had battled depression for many years, but had recently been "victimized" by allegations put forth by McGowan and the subsequent response from Weinstein.
The former Miramax production executive was McGowan's manager in January 1997, when the actress has claimed she was raped by Weinstein in a hotel suite at the Sundance Film Festival.
In October, McGowan told The New York Times that her meeting with Weinstein was arranged by Messick — and that she was comforted by the manager after divulging details of the attack.
McGowan's long-buried story has gained renewed interest as she makes the rounds promoting her upcoming memoir, "Brave." Last month, she revealed the details of Weinstein's alleged assault for the first time, claiming he performed oral sex on her in a hot tub without her consent.
In response, Weinstein's attorney Ben Brafman put out a lengthy statement shooting down McGowan's claims — with a quote attributed to Messick.
The statement alleges McGowan told Messick, 50, about the encounter shortly after it happened, but described it as "consensual."
"In an email to Mr. Weinstein regarding the encounter, Jill Messick says the following, "When we met up the following day, she hesitantly told me of her own accord that during the meeting that night before she had gotten into a hot tub with Mr. Weinstein. She was very clear about the fact that getting into that hot tub was something that she did consensually and that in hindsight it was also something that she regretted having done,'" the statement read.
Being dragged into the middle of the tumultuous allegations in such a way took a toll on Messick, her family said.
"Jill was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact. The speed of disseminating information has carried mistruths about Jill as a person, which she was unable and unwilling to challenge," they said.
"She became collateral damage in an already horrific story… Jill was many things, but she was not a liar."
The family said Messick had kept quiet as the he-said she-said between McGowan and Weinstein dragged on "for fear of undermining the many individuals who came forward in truth."
The family also recounted Messick's version of events, alleging that she sent her part of the Brafman statement before McGowan's Times piece was published, and that it was released months later without her consent.
"Seeing her name in headlines again and again, as part of one person's attempt to gain more attention for her personal cause, along with Harvey's desperate attempts to vindicate himself, was devastating for her," their statement read.
Messick's family also described her battle with bipolar disorder, and how the "slanderous" allegations "broke" her just as she was getting her life back on track.
"What made Rose's inaccurate accusations and insinuations against Jill ironic was that she was the first person who stood up on Rose's behalf, and alerted her bosses to the horrific experience which Rose suffered," they said, maintaining that Messick had handled the situation properly at the time.
They claimed McGowan never once mentioned the word “rape” in their post-assault conversation, but that Messick nevertheless attempted to solve the situation, only to be told it was being handled.
The family's lengthy statement wrapped up with a reminder to readers that "words matter," and the media should not take them lightly.
"We cannot forget that the media is a fearsome tool which cannot be used indiscriminately or even inadvertently to create further victims," they wrote.
In addition to her time at Miramax from 1997 to 2003, Messick also worked at the Paramount-based Lorne Michaels Productions and served as an executive producer on films like "Baby Mama" and "Hot Rod."
Tina Fey, Messick's colleague on the 2004 film "Mean Girls," remembered her as a "fiercely dedicated producer and a kind person" to The Hollywood Reporter.
Daniel Franzese, who played Damian in the film, also paid tribute, writing on Twitter that she was "a joy" to work with.
Messick is survived by two children, their father, her father, a brother and partner Dan Shuck.
EDITOR’S NOTR: When McGowan got into a hot tub with Weinstein she had to know they were not in there to take a bath. McGowan is a cocaine using nutjob, but she’s got thousands of followers which she calls the Rose Army.
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