Harvey Weinstein reportedly diagnosed with cancer

Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with cancer, according to a new report from NBC News. Two sources told the outlet that the disgraced movie mogul has chronic myeloid leukemia, an uncommon form of cancer of the bone marrow. Weinstein is reportedly undergoing treatment in prison while being held at Rikers Island in New York. 

In a statement provided to Variety, Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said, “Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized legal healthcare representative in New York State, expresses profound dismay at the speculation surrounding Mr. Weinstein’s medical condition. It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”

Weinstein is currently awaiting a retrial after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned in April of this year. He has suffered from ongoing health issues, including a bout of COVID and double pneumonia in July and an emergency surgery to alleviate a “significant amount” of fluid in his lungs and heart in September (per NBC News). Following the surgery, it was reported that Weinstein was in critical condition; his lawyer later told a judge that the producer “almost died.” At the time, Judge Curtis Farber ordered that Weinstein would continue to receive care at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan rather than return to Rikers due to “concerns about his care at the jail’s medical facilities,” per Deadline. 

Though Weinstein’s New York conviction was overturned, he continues to serve a 16-year sentence based on the conviction in Los Angeles. (His team is also working to appeal that conviction.) In September, the 72-year-old was indicted again by a new grand jury in New York. Prosecutors have been arguing to combine the charges in the 2020 case with new allegations as part of the retrial.