Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images; Spencer Platt/Getty Images
- Bill Cosby was released from jail on Wednesday after a Pennsylvania court overturned his conviction.
- Soon after the news came out, "Harvey Weinstein" became a trending topic on Twitter.
- Cosby and Weinstein's convictions were considered landmark cases of the #MeToo era.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was lifting Bill Cosby's sexual assault convictions. Cosby, 83, was found guilty in 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand, a Temple University staff member whom the TV star and comedian was accused of molesting in 2004.
In the aftermath of the news, Harvey Weinstein, the film producer who was charged with rape in 2018 and is currently serving a 23-year jail sentence for two felony counts – sexual assault and rape – was a trending topic on Twitter, with people expressing concerns that his legal team might be able to get him out of jail, too.
The court ordered on Wednesday that Cosby's conviction could not stand because the prosecution included testimony that Cosby was told would not be permitted in the trial. Cosby, who was serving a 10-year prison sentence, was released immediately, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
Cosby has been accused of misconduct by 60 women, according to USA Today.
Both Cosby and Weinstein's convictions were considered landmark cases of the #MeToo era. Many Twitter users said they were distressed that Cosby's case reversal could lead to a turnaround of cases like Weinstein's and other prominent men found guilty of similar sex-related crimes. The hashtag "#MeToo" was also trending on Twitter with over 16,000 tweets as of Wednesday afternoon.
"What a horrifying miscarriage of justice," wrote user @KrisWinters. "Today it's Bill Cosby, but who's next? Harvey Weinstein?"
Twitter user @timtypam called the decision "disgusting" and asked whether Harvey Weinstein could be declared innocent next.
Others posted jokes and memes about Weinstein's circumstances in light of Cosby's release.
-DDOT. (@DDotOmen) June 30, 2021
Bridget Phetasy, a writer and comedian, said, "If you listen closely enough, you can hear Harvey Weinstein screaming at his lawyers."
-Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) June 30, 2021
Based on data from Google Trends, the five search terms most commonly associated with Weinstein's name in the United States after the court's decision to release Cosby from jail were nearly all related to the news, including the search quieries, "is harvey weinstein in jail," "harvey weinstein released," "bill cosby net worth," "harvey weinstein sentence," and "bill cosby released."
Talking to Fox News, Weinstein's lawyers praised the decision to vacate Cosby's conviction Wednesday and said they hoped for a "similarly correct decision" in Weinstein's appeal.