Harvey Weinstein asked Netflix for $25m 'emergency cash' as he tried to contain sex abuse scandal

Weinstein allegedly approached Netflix looking for $25 million emergency cash
It is thought he may have been seeking 'hush money' to silence his accusers
However, the American entertainment company reportedly refused a deal

Published: 09:21 GMT, 19 December 2017 | Updated: 12:42 GMT, 19 December 2017

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Harvey Weinstein allegedly tried to raise $25 million from Netflix as he tried to contain the sex abuse scandal, it has been claimed.

The disgraced movie mogul is said to have approached the American entertainment company just weeks before the scandal broke in October, seeking 'emergency cash'.

He did not reveal the reason for the cash injection, however it is speculated that he was looking for 'hush money'.

Hollywood insiders told Page Six the film producer was looking to sell the rights to some of his movies.

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is said to have approached the American entertainment company weeks before the scandal broke in October, seeking 'emergency cash'

However, he was reportedly refused a deal by executives at the company.

An unidentified source told the website: 'Clearly Harvey didn't go to Netflix saying he needed "hush money". He put it into a business context, saying he was looking to sell the rights to part of his catalog. But they were wise to decline.'

Another source added that Weinstein also went to several other companies.

However, when approached by the website, representatives for Weinstein dismissed the allegations as 'untrue' and 'nonsense'.

Weinstein was reportedly refused a deal by executives at Netflix

Charmed actress Rose McGowan (pictured with Weinstein) claimed in October that he offered her $1million in hush money to keep silent about her sexual assault allegations

Netflix declined to comment.

It's not the first time allegations have surfaced about the mogul seeking to silence his accusers with money.

Charmed actress Rose McGowan claimed in October that the producer offered her $1million in hush money to keep silent about her sexual assault allegations.

McGowan, 44, who was allegedly raped by Weinstein at the Sudance Film Festival in 1997, said that someone close to the scandal-hit producer had made the offer in exchange for her signing a nondisclosure agreement.

The Charmed actress, who starred in the Weinstein's movie Scream, says she countered with her own offer of $6 million.

'I had all these people I'm paying telling me to take it so that I could fund my art,' said McGowan.

But she said she began to have second thoughts about the agreement and eventually withdrew her counteroffer.

'I figured I could probably have gotten him up to three. But I was like — ew, gross, you're disgusting, I don't want your money, that would make me feel disgusting,' said McGowan.

In 1997, the actress reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein but says she only learned this summer that the agreement never included a confidentiality clause.

Dozens of other actresses, including Asia Argento, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cara Delevingne, have made allegations of harassment and assault against Weinstein since October.

He has denied ever engaging in 'non-consensual sexual conduct'.

The revelations, published in The New York Times and the New Yorker have brought on two months unlike any the media world has ever seen, with nearly daily allegations of sexual harassment assault and abuse that have ensnared some of the most prominent players in entertainment including Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, Dustin Hoffman and Russell Simmons.