Harvey Weinstein Reportedly Diagnosed With Leukemia, Being Treated in Prison

Harvey Weinstein has reportedly been diagnosed with leukemia and is said to be undergoing treatment at Rikers Island prison in New York City, where he's currently awaiting retrial in one of his sexual assault convictions. 

NBC News reported the news late Monday that Weinstein is suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia, an uncommon type of cancer of the bone marrow that causes an increased number of white blood cells in the blood. According to the Mayo Clinic, CML tends to progress more slowly than severe forms of leukemia, and due to medical advances, most patients will go into remission and can live for many years after being diagnosed.

The cancer diagnosis is just one of Weinstein's many recent health woes. Last month, he was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency heart surgery after experiencing chest pains; and back in July he was hospitalized with a Coivd-19 diagnosis and double pneumonia.

As news of Weinstein's leukemia diagnosis broke, his representative, Juda Engelmayer, and his attorney, Arthur Aidala, issued a joint statement regarding the disgraced producer's health.

"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," the statement read, via TMZ. "It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse and speculation. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein's privacy, we will offer no further comment."

Weinstein was expected to be retried this fall after his 2020 landmark felony sex crime conviction was overturned back in April. However, prosecutors said back in July that additional alleged victims have since come forward that fall within the statute of limitations. Though, the 72-year-old still faces 16 years in prison in California for sex crimes on a February 2023 conviction.