Harvey Weinstein had one long weekend that turned pretty rough after getting fired from his own company. Now one of his champions is stepping up to speak about his alleged sexual predatory actions. Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep once jokingly referred to Weinstein as "god" and "the punisher" while accepting a Best Actress award, but it appears that Weinstein's "god-like" status has been revoked by many in Hollywood after decades of sexual misconduct became public last week in a New York Times article that Harvey Weinstein tried to fight from coming out.

Meryl Streep's comments on Harvey Weinstein come days after the allegations came to light and she maintains that "not everybody" knew of Weinstein's actions. After the allegations were reported and more women started to come out and share their stories, many claimed that everybody knew about Harvey Weinstein's lewd behavior, but Streep maintains that it wasn't as widely known as some might think. Her words have already been contested, but it just seems that she is one of the lucky associates of Harvey Weinstein that did not get sexually harassed.

Many have been waiting for Meryl Streep to break her silence on the situation and she did not disappoint. The actress began her statement by heralding the women that have stepped forward as "heroes" and called Weinstein's actions "disgraceful." Ashley Judd was one of the first actresses to come forward in the New York Times article and many have followed since. Streep had this to say.

"The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes."

Meryl Streep went on to talk about how respectful that Harvey Weinstein had been to her over the years and also maintains that she knew nothing of his actions. She explains.

"One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew. Harvey supported the work fiercely, was exasperating but respectful with me in our working relationship, and with many others with whom he worked professionally. I didn't know about these other offenses: I did not know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues; I did not know about his having meetings in his hotel room, his bathroom, or other inappropriate, coercive acts. And If everybody knew, I don't believe that all the investigative reporters in the entertainment and the hard news media would have neglected for decades to write about it."

Streep brings up the point that if Harvey Weinstein's actions had been out in the open that he wouldn't have been able to keep his job. But it's quite the opposite since Weinstein was so powerful and influential in the industry. The Hollywood mogul could make or break careers with the snap of his fingers and he abused his powers.

In closing, Meryl Streep calls Harvey Weinstein's actions "inexcusable" and hopes that the women coming forward and the media can bring change to the industry. She explains.

"The behavior is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game."

Hopefully Meryl Streep is right about the media and the accusers stepping forward will initiate widespread change, but Harvey Weinstein has done a lot of damage. It says a lot when 1/3 of the male population working for Weinstein quit so they wouldn't have to "tell" on him. Additionally, Harvey Weinstein blames his environment coming up in the 1960s and 1970s on his sexual predatory behavior, which may point to an even larger problem that still happens today. Check out Meryl Streep's entire statement courtesy of The Huffington Post.