Rose McGowan claims she was fired by her agency after speaking out against Hollywood sexism and calling out Adam Sandler on Twitter.

Rose McGowan Fired By Agency For Calling Out Hollywood Sexism

McGowan made headlines last week, when she tweeted a casting note she received with a script of an upcoming Sandler film, calling it out for it’s condescending and sexist nature. The note asked actresses to wear tight, black clothing – “that shows off cleavage (push up bras encouraged)” – and asked that actresses read the script prior to auditioning to “understand the context of the scenes.”

After the tweet went viral, McGowan tweeted on Thursday, June 25, that she had been fired from her agency because of her decision to speak out against sexism in Hollywood. “I just got fired by my wussy acting agent because I spoke up about the bullshit in Hollywood,” she wrote on Twitter.

It was reported that her former agent, Shelia Wenzel, was leaving the Innovative, the agency that dropped McGowan. Innovative has not commented on either departure. Reports speculated that Wenzel had been fired after the McGowan drama, but McGowan took to Twitter to set the record straight about Wenzel, saying her agent left the company before they fired her. “Sheila Wenzel is a wonderful agent that ceased working with Innovative before my firing. She’s a good, strong woman I’m proud to know,” she said.

McGowan, who is currently on a press tour as she makes the transition from actress to director with her new short film, Dawn, also clarified her position on the Sandler script she received, and said she does not blame the comedian, nor was she trying to vilify him in the press. “He didn’t do it, it was the casting office. And the thing is, it’s just institutionalized stupidity. And, so many people it went past – and it was probably a girl that had to type that up,” McGowan said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.

On Friday, McGowan continued to stand strong in an interview with Good Morning America, saying that she hopes other actresses and women in the industry will speak out and continue to shed light on the harsh realities of Hollywood. “The only way to stop it is to shine a light on it and reveal how ugly it is.… I want to make it better for the next girl coming after me – to know she doesn’t have to sell her body and soul just because she wants to be a creative person. That isn’t the fine you pay at the gate, and it shouldn’t be,” she said.

McGowan also recounted her response to the news of her firing, saying, “I wrote back to them, ‘You’re hilarious.’ That was my response. Like, come on! Hollywood, get a better script. This is so predictable.”


ABC US News | World News

When asked whether she was worried about being blacklisted for speaking out, McGowan emphasized that she is ready to fight if necessary. “I don’t care. Bring it. You want to play, let’s play.”

Jessica Chastain, Heather Matarazzo Support Rose McGowan

Whatever happens next, McGowan has some A-list supporters behind her. Jessica Chastain shared her support on Twitter, writing that McGowan’s experience “confirms the misogyny underpinning the industry” and that the actress “should be celebrated for speaking out.”

Fellow actresses and filmmakers have also tweeted their support, including Nia Vardalos, the woman behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and Heather Matarazzo.

Matarazzo, best known for her supporting role in The Princess Diaries, took McGowan’s crusade a step further and encouraged women in Hollywood to “name names.”

“Tell your stories. Name names. Call out the mysoginists and the ones who are complicit. They only stay in power because we let them…. We need to know that we will be supported and not blacklisted form this industry. Where are the supporters who will say that we are safe to speak out. We got your back,” she wrote as part of a long statement on Twitter.

Leave a comment

Read more about:
Caitlyn Jenner: A History In Pictures From Bruce Jenner To Caitlyn Click here for the Caitlyn Jenner: A History In Pictures From Bruce Jenner To Caitlyn Slideshow