Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with a form of bone marrow cancer known as chronic myeloid leukaemia, according to sources who claim he is receiving treatment while in prison. Craig Rothfeld, Weinstein's legal health representative in New York, has declined to comment on the diagnosis, stating, "Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein's privacy, we will offer no further comment." Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein's spokesperson, expressed deep concern over the public speculation about Weinstein's health, calling it "both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse." Engelmayer reiterated that no further comments would be made out of respect for Weinstein's privacy.
Chronic myeloid leukaemia is a rare cancer that impacts bone marrow and white blood cells, most frequently affecting individuals over the age of 65. While it progresses gradually, the NHS website notes that it is generally treatable. Last month, the 72-year-old Weinstein was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for an emergency procedure to remove fluid from his heart and lungs after experiencing chest pains. Rothfeld later confirmed that this procedure was pericardiocentesis surgery. Earlier this year, Weinstein's health was described as a "train wreck," and he has been seen using a wheelchair during recent court appearances.
Weinstein is currently incarcerated at Rikers Island in New York, awaiting a retrial scheduled for 12 November after an appeals court overturned his 2020 rape and sexual assault convictions. He was initially found guilty on 24 February 2020 of first-degree and third-degree rape, and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Following his conviction, Weinstein was transported from court in an ambulance due to complaints of chest pains and high blood pressure, later undergoing a procedure to insert a stent to clear a blocked artery. In April, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 conviction for rape, citing improper rulings by the trial judge. In September, Weinstein faced a new sex crime charge when another woman accused him of forcing oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in spring 2006. Weinstein has consistently denied all allegations of rape and sexual assault.
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