Child grooming in Hollywood is a problem that has been around for a long time. “Grooming” by definition is “the action by a pedophile of preparing a child for a meeting, especially via an internet chat room, with the intention of committing a sexual offense”. This could include befriending a child to get any sort of inappropriate media or affair. The problem with grooming is that the victims are unaware of the problem.The first step required in grooming is getting the child to trust them. In the case of Millie Bobby Brown and Drake, Drake befriended Millie by talking about boys and then texting each other “I miss you”. While Millie may be excited to go visit Drake, Drake could be planning on something else. This danger is seen over and over in Hollywood.

In a lot of cases the groomer is a more famous person than the groomed. This leads to clouded judgment. Making it easier for them to get what they want. Another example of a groomer is influencer and makeup artist, James Charles. He was guilty of messaging and flirting with two 16 year old boys. These people do not see the problem with their behavior, they are never sorry for what they did they are only sorry they got caught. In 2014, famous rapper Tyga (24) began dating 16 year old Kylie Jenner. Their relationship was not made public until her 18th birthday. In 1994, R. Kelly (27) allegedly bribed a public official to fake an ID for Aaliyah Haughton (15) to be able to marry her.

In 1977, director Roman Polanski photographed and raped 13 year old Samantha Gaily. After being offered a lesser sentence for pleading guilty, Polanski fled the United States. Even after being a convicted sex offender his career was still in tact. Many famous people have agreed to work with him, most notably, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, and Kate Winslet. Kate Winslet was asked if she had any doubts about working with Polanksi or Woody Allen (whom she had worked with). Winslet replied “Having thought it all through, you put it to one side and just work with the person. Woody Allen is an incredible director. So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and that’s the truth.” The article “What does Hollywood’s Reverence for Child Rapist Roman Polanski Tell Us?” Hadley Freeman states that many people defended Polanski. She wrote “for the past 40 years, many of them have been falling over themselves to work with a self-confessed child rapist, even defending him by pointing to his artistic credentials.” Freeman argues that only after the #MeToo movement did people begin to stop defending rapists and sexual offenders. She states ” Reactions to Weinstein come soundtracked with the distinct sound of bandwagon-jumping; thanks to the #MeToo campaign, the public mood is firmly on the side of listening to victims, and Hollywood has keenly followed suit.”

Freeman also states “only months after defending Polanski and Allen, Winslet spoke tearfully about “bitter regrets I have at poor decisions to work with individuals with whom I wish I had not. Sexual abuse is a crime, it lies with all of us to listen to the smallest of voices.” Yes, if only there had been some way Winslet could have known about these decades-old cases before signing on to work with two directors accused of sex crimes! This kind of hypocrisy about Polanski makes you wonder how serious the industry really is about dealing with this problem, as it claims to be.” She makes a very good point. How can Hollywood really stand with all of the victims of sexual assault when only a few years ago Hollywood was standing with the abusers?

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/05/785356513/r-kelly-bribed-official-to-marry-15-year-old-aaliyah-government-alleges

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/30/hollywood-reverence-child-rapist-roman-polanski-convicted-40-years-on-run