You May Be Afraid to Type Your Favorite TV Show Into This Site

Rotten Apples lists films, shows linked to those with sex misconduct accusations against them
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 15, 2017 8:34 AM CST
Site Helps Find TV, Films Not Tied to Accused Sex Predators
Screenshot from Rotten Apples website.   (Rotten Apples)

There have been so many allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood since the Harvey Weinstein story broke that it's been hard to keep track. Now one group is trying to do just that, with a site Vanity Fair is calling "Rotten Tomatoes with a post-Weinstein twist." The now-viral site, launched Monday, is Rotten Apples, a database that allows you to plug in the name of a TV show or movie to see if it gets a rating of either "fresh apples" (meaning no big players involved with the project have had any accusations hurled their way) or "rotten apples." If "rotten" pops up, it will list the person or persons who've been making headlines, and a link to those headlines. Per the site, which was started and is being funded by four Los Angeles ad professionals, the ratings scan for anyone who was a "cast member, screenwriter, executive producer, or director" on the project.

Type in Stranger Things, for example, and you'll get a "fresh" and the message that "this TV show has no known affiliation to anyone with allegations of sexual misconduct against them." (If you think a squeaky-clean rating is in error, you can enter an article link about iffy participants). Enter Home Alone 2, though, and Donald Trump's name pops up (he had a cameo), with a link to a HuffPost article on accusations against him. The founders insist the site isn't "meant to serve as a condemnation of an entire project," adding that the information shouldn't even necessarily be seen as fact—simply links to existing reports. "I think the tool serves as a commentary on how pervasive the problem is," Annie Johnston, the site's creative director, tells VF. Per their data, less than a quarter of searches are turning up "rotten." "Most importantly, Lady Bird is fresh," one of the other co-founders notes. (More sexual misconduct stories.)

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