Harvey Weinstein has opened up about his day-to-day life in custody while serving time at Rikers Island in New York.
In a recent interview, the former Hollywood producer said he feels continually “under siege” from other inmates and alleged he was struck in the face after asking another prisoner whether he had finished using the phone.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Weinstein — who is awaiting a third retrial — described what he claims has been an increasingly difficult existence since he was first jailed in 2020.
“One time, while I was waiting to use the phone, I asked the guy in front of me if he was done. He got off and punched me hard in the face,” he said.
“I fell on the floor, bleeding everywhere. I was hurt really badly. The cops asked me who had done it, but I couldn’t say. You can’t be a rat. That’s the law of the jungle.
“I spend almost all of it in my cell. Sometimes I’ll go out in the wheelchair just to get some air, but that’s only half an hour. Mostly I’m in my cell 23 hours a day. I don’t have any human contact other than with the guards.
“It’s too dangerous for me to be around anyone else. Other inmates get to go to the yard. But every time I’m out there, I feel like I’m under siege.”
Weinstein is currently using a wheelchair and has faced a range of health problems, including myeloid leukemia and spinal stenosis.
He said he is afraid he could die in prison, adding: “Cold and heartless. It’s incredible to have the life that I had and the things that I did for society and not have the leniency to deal with me in a kinder way. Whatever they think I did bad in my life, I didn’t get the death penalty.”
Weinstein also claimed he has lost contact with two of his daughters, despite attempts to reconnect.
“They never respond. Their mother cut me off, too. It’s been radio silence from them ever since the allegations started,” he said.
He added that he remains in touch with three of his children and described those conversations as routine.
“I speak to three of my children every day: my oldest daughter, who is 30 now, and my 12-year-old, and my 15-year-old. My other two children haven’t talked to me for six years.
“I also speak to my lawyers and to a few friends. It’s the only thing that keeps me sane.”
Weinstein was arrested in May 2018 and charged with rape and other offences after more than 80 women publicly accused him of non-consensual acts during his time in the film industry.
He has denied allegations involving “non-consensual sex,” but in March 2020 he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
He later received a further 16-year sentence in Los Angeles after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of rape.
In 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 2020 New York conviction, citing concerns that he did not receive a fair trial.
In June last year, a New York jury found Einstein guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act, while acquitting him on another count.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the rape charge linked to actress Jessica Mann, resulting in a mistrial. A retrial is expected to begin on April 14 this year.
Weinstein is expected to be represented by Jacob Kaplan, the attorney currently representing Luigi Mangione.