Journalist Ronan Farrow finalized a three-year deal with HBO, the cable network confirmed on Thursday, Jan. 11, which will begin later this year. Farrow is set to develop and front an investigative documentary series, plus a number of specials for HBO.
He's also tasked to create topical pieces for other platforms owned by the network. The inked deal follows Farrow's revelatory and groundbreaking reporting on Harvey Weinstein, the now-chastised producer who reportedly abused and raped women frequently. Farrow will continue writing for The New Yorker despite the HBO deal, however.
Farrow exposed a decades-long history of sexual harassment, abuse, and power plays instigated by Weinstein, interviewing a handful of women who've spoken out about their traumatic experiences with the producer.
He also published an examination of Weinstein's league of enablers — from lawyers to agents to media personnel — and how the producer hired investigative firms to bury whispers of his sexual improprieties whenever they came up. This despite his actions being an "open secret" in Hollywood circles.
Farrow's HBO deal was first reported in Jan. 10 by The Hollywood Reporter. Casey Bloys, the network's programming president made it official during a Pasadena press tour.
"His work has contributed to this watershed moment in our culture, and we are excited to provide a platform for this dogged reporter to pursue projects that continue to speak truth to power," Bloys said.
Long before the Weinstein reports, Farrow was part of a news program in MSNBC that was eventually canceled in 2015. Since then, Farrow had been doing investigative reports for NBC News. During this time, he started probing sexual allegations against Weinstein. Network executives didn't allow him to push through with the story but said he should take it to The New Yorker. The magazine published the first set of stories on Oct. 10, 2017, causing a spiral of rage, controversy, and chaos in Hollywood.
Weinstein's outing was a watershed moment for breaking a culture of silence among women who have kept their mouths shut for fear of career repercussions and sexist retaliation. It helped spark the so-called #MeToo movement, which saw women speak out about their long-kept run-ins with sexual abusers in the workplace, in public, behind closed doors.
That movement is still immensely potent, months later. Oprah recently gave an empowering speech about a culture that maintains sexual harassment and keeps women from blowing their whistles during the Golden Globe awards, for which nearly all attendees wore black in support of #MeToo.
