Last month, actor Brad Pitt took center stage at the Formula One circuit, not as a racer, but as the leading man in the high-octane film “F1,” backed by Apple Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and Pitt’s own Plan B Entertainment. Cameras followed him closely during the publicity campaign, capturing his heartthrob persona for audiences worldwide. The media coverage was overwhelmingly positive, with scant mention of the 2016 allegations of physical and emotional abuse made by Angelina Jolie, Pitt’s former partner and an award-winning actor.
Although Pitt was never charged over these allegations, he faced significant public scrutiny when they surfaced. However, the narrative has shifted dramatically. Now, media outlets are more focused on Pitt’s fashion choices, describing him as looking “effortlessly iconic” and as someone who is “just trying to have fun with his style.” This marks a seemingly polished return to the limelight, a phenomenon not uncommon among powerful men in Hollywood.
Media Narratives and the Protection of the Accused
Pitt is not an isolated case; he is part of a broader pattern where influential men in Hollywood rebound from scandal with minimal repercussions. His career trajectory, supported by critical acclaim and strategic PR campaigns, demonstrates how public memory can be selectively rewritten.
A 2019 study examining media coverage of rape allegations against Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo highlights this phenomenon. The allegations, made by American woman Kathryn Mayorga, accused Ronaldo of raping her in 2009. The study revealed that Portuguese media and political leaders largely defended Ronaldo, portraying him as a “national hero” and focusing on his career, while minimizing Mayorga’s account.
“Reports also emphasized ‘collateral damages,’ such as Ronaldo’s club avoiding matches in the United States, diverting attention from the issue of sexual violence.”
These findings illustrate how the “celebrity halo” can compromise serious coverage of allegations. According to Karen Boyle, a gender studies professor and author of the book #MeToo, Weinstein and Feminism, mainstream media and celebrity culture systematically protect powerful men accused of violence against women.
The Machinery of Redemption
The post-#MeToo era promised a reckoning, where survivors would be heard, and powerful men held accountable. However, the cultural reset has not met the expectations of many movement supporters. Boyle argues that #MeToo must be understood within the context of an ongoing history of popular misogyny, which normalizes men’s abuse of women.
The movement has faced increasing backlash since it went viral in 2017. Publications like Vox and Dame Magazine have highlighted how public sympathy is shifting towards accused men, recasting them as victims of “cancel culture” while sidelining survivors. Online platforms such as Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube have also become arenas where public commentators blame victim-survivors and make excuses for famous male perpetrators.
Race, Power, and Media Portrayals
It’s not just about attraction-leniency theory, where physically attractive people are judged more favorably. Race also plays a significant role. A 2015 study found that media coverage of intimate partner violence by celebrity men was more likely to be portrayed as “criminal” when the man was black.
“Reports are more likely to include excuses for men’s violence against women when the coverage is of a white celebrity than when the celebrity is black,” said Joanna Pepin, the study’s author.
White men in Hollywood accumulate prestige, status, and connections that act as a buffer, protecting them from consequences that might derail others’ careers. This dynamic reinforces existing power structures and perpetuates inequality.
Ideology, Power, and Coercive Control
As a scholar who has been analyzing coercive control for over a decade, I argue that power operates not just through institutions, but through discourse: who gets to speak, who is believed, what is remembered, and what is erased. Belief is often unconscious; the public may be aware that violence occurred, yet act as though it didn’t, choosing to forget to preserve the comforting fiction that their favorite heartthrob is a good man.
My research suggests that coercive control isn’t limited to perpetrators of domestic violence but is a widespread tactic employed by high-profile men to assert power and dominance. This control functions like a modern panopticon, allowing powerful men to use gendered power and social status to trap and discipline victims within an invisible prison, extending this control to entire communities.
Shifting the Lens
Gender studies scholar Judith Butler argues that Trump-era politics have distorted public conversations about gender, power, and accountability. They explain that the administration has normalized hatred, xenophobia, masculinity, and misogyny, emboldening far-right groups and legitimizing violence against vulnerable populations.
Moving forward, it is crucial to recognize how media narratives contribute to our collective amnesia regarding violence against women. We must prioritize educating younger generations about masculine culture and the dangers of gendered violence. When survivors speak, the focus should not be on whether they seem “credible” or “emotional enough,” but on the structures that may embolden the men they are accusing.
