Jeremy Piven is a 2x Golden Globe and 3x Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian and producer best known for his starring role as the fast-talking and acerbic Hollywood agent Ari Gold on HBO’s hit series Entourage which ran for eight seasons. He has also starred in many other well-received films including Grosse Pointe Blank, Singles, Old School, Heat, The Kingdom and the semi-fictional series Mr. Selfridge about the founder of London department store Selfridges.
Following the allegations of sexual misconduct and assault brought against film producer Harvey Weinstein, women felt empowered to share their own experiences with powerful men in the entertainment industry. The fallout inspired dozens of other accusations against famous men, including those against Piven. In 2017 and 2018, eight women came forward alleging sexual harassment and/or assault by the actor.
In the aftermath of these accusations, Piven Jeremy Piven stepped back from acting for a while. However, the actor has been working behind the scenes on projects like his podcast, How U Livin’ J Piven, where he interviews influential artists such as Jamie Foxx, Mark Cuban and Tiffany Haddish. He’s also been performing stand-up comedy across the country and flexing his comedic muscle in a way that’s rare for actors to do after such a long career in the business.
Piven is set to star in a new film called Sweetwater which will tell the story of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, an NBA player who broke barriers for African-Americans in the sports world. The film will co-star Eric Roberts, Richard Dreyfuss and Kevin Pollak. The film will be released April 14.
Meador, who starred with Piven in the short-lived ABC dramedy Cupid and voiced Elongated Man in three episodes of Justice League Unlimited, believes there is room for redemption for Piven if he takes accountability. He should account for the mistreatment he caused to the women who spoke out against him, she says. In addition, he should publicly apologize. She also believes the system should be held accountable, saying that studios, production companies and management should take responsibility for the way they allow their stars to act on set. She says this is the only way to truly create change.